


A Complicated Affair - Secret Cutscenes

by lasercat



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hot, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut, Sweet/Hot, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25313671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasercat/pseuds/lasercat
Summary: Peeking behind the curtain at the unwritten cutscenes in a partially steamy slowburn between Aerith and Cloud as they learn to deal with the unpredictable consequences of mako meeting hormones amidst the backdrop of the game. Let's reimagine fiery scenes in the orphanage of Sector 5,  a heartfelt goodbye on the playground and a hot partynight at Honey Bee Inn.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 16
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1 - Midnight Cookies

**Author's Note:**

> **  
>  _  
> PS:  
>  Your reviews/comments/blurbs are my mako!  
> _   
>  **

* * *

**_ \- Aerith _ **

The old wood of the cottage floor under Aerith's feet cracked as she walked up the winding staircase. She was carrying a metal tray with a plate of palm-sized blueberry cookies and a glass of goat's milk atop. The smell of the freshly baked cookies already filled the whole of the cottage by now and waved infront of her as she stepped up to the attic.

Holding her hand up to knock, she noticed the door was already standing slightly ajar.

„Cloud? Mother made you a night time snack to thank-", she began as the wooden door gave way with a creak under the kick of her bare foot.

Aerith fell silent as she noticed the boy who called himself Cloud standing at the other end of the attic, that resembled a narrow hall more than a guest room. He was henching over the end of the mattress on the ground, his cheeks puffed and he grunted and hissed as he was seemingly struggling to pull the duvet cover over the fourth corner of the mattress. His wiry body tensed in a weird angle as he pulled the material up while simultaneosly stopping it from jumping off the other sides.

She couldn't stifle a laugh, a movement that made some of the milk spill from it's glass.

„In need of some help?", she asked and placed down the tray on a dusty cupboard. Obviously startled by her presence the boy let go of the elastic material causing it to plop off two ends of the mattress and shrivel together uncerimonically in the middle of the bed. His body wheezed around to her, tense and bouncy for a second, the defense instincts of a SOLDIER breaking through, and then let his shoulders relax with a sigh.

„I – I was just making the" –

„Making the bed? Yeah, I can see that". Giggling now Aerith closed the space between them with two long strides. Up close it was impossible to miss that he was blushing behind his pale skin.

„Here. It's easier together", she said and pulled on the duvet cover from one side of the mattress. „You pull there now."

„Thanks", the boy murmured, not meeting her eyes, as he was marvling at the suddenly perfectly tightened material.

Aerith nodded at their work and allowed herself to take in the guest of her house for a moment. It was a while since they had had guests here, a while since the mattress in this dusty attic had been used. A while since she had brought a boy home, for that matter as well.

On their way through the slums they hadn't had time to exchange a lot of personal details, but she figured he must be somewhere her age in his early twenties or mid-twenty perhaps? He definitely looked younger now in the once white shirt she had leant him and without the officialism of his dark SOLDIER gear.

The boy cleared his throat and Aerith noticed that her eyes had layed on the tightness of the shirt hugging his waist for maybe a moment too long. She trailed a hand through her braided her and stepped through the room.

„Anyways, the cookies are still warm. You should enjoy them and get some rest". She smiled and waved at the tray.

The boy's eyes wandered to the cookies and then back to the mattress, seemingly searching for a hook, a problem, something to reject about his situation. But the bags under his eyes didn't leave much room for the rebellious energy Aerith had seen him fight with in the slums.

He peared at Aerith through strands of hair falling over brilliant mako-tinged eyes and - as if to prove that he wouldn't give in to his SOLDIER instincts to set off for his next mission in the middle of the night - took a sip of the milk.

„I haven't had that in a long time", he said, his pokerface voice tinted with a shade of sentimentality.

„Cookies with milk in the evening? Oh, it's the best you should –"

„No. A bed."

Aerith startled. _This isn't even a bed_ , she thought looking at the tattered old mattress on the ground. She combed her fingers along her braid again, then threw her hair over her shoulder.

„Anyways, get some rest. You'll need all your energy for some more flower picking in the morning", she winked at him and twirled around towards the door.

„Sleep tight, soldier boy."


	2. Chapter 2 - Evening Tea

** Chapter 2 - Evening Tea **

\- _**Cloud**_

His nails were specked brown from the humid soil, his entire skin reaked of summer-pollen and there was an annoyingly itchy rash building up on his forearms.

_ Who the fuck did they think he was? A damned florist? _

Shaking his head in disbelief of having spent the entire day picking all sorts of medicinal herbs with Aerith, the girl that kept promising payment for this pawn's work, Cloud stepped under the self-constructed showerhead at the backside of the cottage. A water pump laid by the girl's mother, lead the water from a nearby stream into a large metal plate above his head. It worked, though rusty, just as smoothly as Aerith's mother had announced and Cloud couldn't help but be impressed.

_Perhaps she's the one Aerith has her wits from,_ Cloud caught himself thinking and quickly tried to block his shower-thoughts from wandering to a girl he barely knew. He had to keep himself from getting tied into her life in any way if he wanted to get back to Sector 7 soon.

_ Just a few more days, hustle for some gil, make yourself a reputation and you'll find someone to give you a head start through the slums or maybe even a way to use the trains without causing a scene for AVALANCHE. _

Drying off the cold water from his body Cloud noticed his arms. The rash was spreading in red-hot blotches all the way from the back of his fingers to his elbow now, and the rough material of the towel didn't exactly help the aesthetics of the situation. Though it did help the itching. _The itching._

He hung the towel over a piece of the metal debris that seemed to be just as much part of nature here as the tall grass and lavish wild flowers. He wanted to slip back into his trusted SOLDIER gear when he noticed the thick net of golden pollen covering it in it's enterity. _Great, might aswell roll around in a field of contact-allergies then._

Sighing he plucked the towel back from the improvised washing-line, tied it around his hips and washed off the pollen from his gear as best he could.

„Ready or not, here I come!", chimed a cheerful voice from the back door. A second later the girl walked towards him, two steaming cups in hand.

Getting her foot caught on a flower bed she nearly stumbled over but managed to stay balanced and even savor some of the liquid in the cups.

„Woops! Maybe I shouldn't walk with eyes-closed. But i wasn't sure if you were dressed and I didn't want to –"

„It's fine. I'm dressed", Cloud interrupted her way too many words.

The girl looked him up and down and set the cups on the stone table at the side of the pond.

She stemmed her hands in her waist in a jokingly authoritarian pose and snickered positively amused at the sight of him in nothing but a towel.

„Well, dressed enough, I guess", she confirmed, teasingly. Her eyes caught on the red battle field of his skin that was creeping up all the way to his shoulders by now.

Cloud tightened the knot of the towel around his hips self-consciously and motioned to his drenched wet SOLDIER gear, that was still shimmering with golden highlights from all the flower dust that he didn't achieve to remove.

„Guess my body is more used to fighting monsters than flower pollen".

Aerith took a step towards him, her concentrated gaze tracing the swelling rash, her forehead crinkling in a wave of concern.

„Oh my, it really seams that way", her porcelain fingertips trickled along his skin, assessing the spread of the red patterning, drawing along the frame of his arms. Cloud watched the girl in an unusual moment of bewilderment, not remembering when last he had been touched in this caressing way. Her presence just centimeters from his body gave off a scent of budding spring lillies, as far as his brain managed to remember that distant childhood smell. Her freshly washed damp hair laid open instead of her usual high braid, waving around her shoulders and partially curling up into tiny locks that were dancing on her clavicles.

When his gaze dipped down to the strapless dress draping over her full-figured breasts, he abruptly pulled his arm out of her touch.

„It's fine. It will pass".

„No it's not. Here come sit, i'll fetch something to heal you up", the girl opposed and stemmed her arms on her waist again, „or do you want mother to be mad at me for not taking care of our guests?".

Cloud swallowed a sigh, letting his body sink on the stone seat of the table. The stone was warmed from the summer day, an oddly innocent feeling to the back of his bare thighs he hadn't stopped to enjoy in a while. Aerith bounced back off into the house and let him wait with throbbing arms.

She returned with her peach-colored headband filed onto her wrist and plopped herself on the stone seat across from him. In what looked like a practiced manner she untangled the knotted fabric to release a silver pulsing marble of materia that it was guarding into her palm.

„Healing materia from the region", she explained holding the translucent glimmering ball between two fingers, „mother told me how to use it on herbal skin reactions".

„Really, it's not worth it. I-", Cloud began but Aerith was quick to lay a finger on his lips in a motion for silence.

„It's your duty as my bodyguard to be in full health when your next shift begins", she winked at him cocking her haid to one shoulder.

Before Cloud could further interfere the girl closed her eyes, took a deep breath and placed the palms of her hands on his bare chest. Stunned by the intimate touch Cloud suppressed to urge to pick up her fragile body and dump her into the pond face-first. Which was exactly what he would do with anybody else in this situation.

He sat there tense and rigid while Aerith's lips parted and closed, forming silent words that were coaxing the energy of the materia into his body. The brilliant materia was placed atop her thighs, amidst the soft ruffles of her summer dress and started to glow in an increasingly blinding manner. Cloud forced his eyes shut from the thrill of this girl with all of her skin on his and, after a moment of prickling heat shooting down his arms, he felt the pressure of her hands leave his skin.

„There. That should do the trick", she mustered confidently at the result. Cloud's arms had regained their light pigment with nothing more than a slight pink discoloration. The throbbing heat was gone and so was the terrible itch.

He mumbled a thank you and turned to the cup of tea, distracting his thoughts from the prickling of where her hands had laid on him.

Aerith enclosed the materia back into the headband. She ran her fingers through her wavy ash-brown hair and, with an absent minded gaze over the peaceful scene of the pond, began braiding her hair.

„Wait", Cloud, who couldn't rid the edge of his vision of her graceful movements didn't think before he ran the fingers of one hand through the beginning of her braid. Carefully testing her startled reaction he turned the whole of his body to her and allowed himself to lay her open waves back over her shoulders.

„It suits you like this".

Aerith nodded, letting her arms relax, headband in hand, after this unexpected gesture. She smiled shyly, a way Cloud hadn't yet seen on her.

„To soldiers and flowers", Aerith proposed and lifted her cup of tea towards the pond.

Cloud met her green eyes and lifted his cup aswell: „To _ex-_ soldiers and flowers".


	3. Chapter 3 - Sunset Flames (part1/2)

** Chapter 3 – Sunset Flames (part 1/2 ) **

* * *

\- **_Aerith_**

Usually an open fire directly infront of an orphanage was a cause for concern. In fact, Aerith could think of multiple occasions where she had had to ice one of the children's hands after an unlucky encounter with a candle. But today was different.

In the orphanage's plaza the summer night's air was dancing with heat, the structures infront of the onlookers eyes shifted momentarily as dazzling flames blinded them , erupting in magnificent structures. Aerith was standing amidst a crowd of people, children, families and workers alike, that had gathered around the creator of this spectacle.

It was a boy who's contours appeared as pale as the moon in the fire's glow. His eyes were piercing the sky in a concentrated gaze, arms reaching up, fingers twitching in trained motions. His dark dressed silhouette was melting into the night and reappearing with the flicker of the fire. Through a shy glow of his gloved finger tips - he set the night aflame.

Peering up in utter amazement from between his broad stance stood a little girl. She gripped the folds of his fluttering SOLDIER pants tight in her tiny hands, eyes wide and not daring to blink. She did not want to miss a moment of the wondrous fireworks her hero was conjuring in the nightsky. Cloud, her angel of fire.

The crowd cheered and clapped enthusiastically as Cloud relaxed his arms at the side of his body. Aerith watched the little girl babble to him excitedly as he crouched down to pat her head, obviously not quite sure how to interact with this small being. She was the youngest of the orphanage's children and was herby the guest of honor in today's anniversary of the house.

Cloud ushered the little girl to join Miss Folia who stepped forward in announcement of the next performance – a dance routine some of the older children had practiced for the occasion. When the music set in, Aerith nodded encouragingly to the nervous dancers and then dove back into the crowd. She shuffled through the people, following Cloud's dark figure.

„Well that was quite a show", she cooed in acknoweledgment, closing the door of the orphanage's side entrance behind them. She pushed herself onto a counter and let her feet dangle. From outside, music was fading into the tutor's room and a distant crowd could still be heard.

Cloud's eyes flicked to the door and with a stride he clicked the lock shut to the outer world.

„Seeking refuge from the attention?", Aerith tended to their silence, „it was really nice of you to use your skills like that for the kids. Everyone really enjoyed themselves".

Aerith saw through him. He could no longer say that it was just a job, a way to weaken Shinra or yet another mission to get him closer to whatever mysterious goal he was really chasing. She had watched him with the children in the last days, his guarding aura on their patrols and the way he tutored their playful fights.

„Whatever get's the people to donate", he stated his motives. With a justifying shrug he added: „Definitely a better place to leave your _gil_ than the bars".

„No matter the donations, you were a real hero to the little ones tonight", Aerith countered with a smile.

Cloud didn't meet her eyes. The lights from the plaza fell through the low windows into the halls and made shadows shimmer across his skin. Aerith watched him clench his jaw, as if weighing the consequences of the next thing he was about to say.

„A hero...", he bagan, stepping infront of her, „just for the little ones?".

Taken by surprise by this flirtatious notion Aerith leant back on her hands to muster him.

Cloud was holding her gaze with easy confidence, though he appeared to be guarded for her reaction, arms crossed, ready to defend her laughing off his approach with a cynical comeback, if necessary.

But there was no reason for Aerith to play him that way. Her open hearted nature had allowed her to make her interest in him quite clear from the start. As her bodyguard just as much as a lover.

They both breathed into the split seconds of silence, him standing motionless across from her - eyes locked across the arm's length seperating them.

Finally it hit Aerith why he had made it so hard for her, no for himself, for the two of them to spend time together outside of a mission. Without the defined contract of a job to do with a clear goal and a prize, there was no one but Cloud himself to carry the responsibility for his decisions. He himself had to think, what it was he truly wanted. There was probably no mysterious end goal this boy was chasing. Mission after mission he had only been trying to get away from himself, the inner core of his own thoughts and dreams being too much to handle, too much to be confronted with after years and years of self-denial. Following orders was easy, no matter how hard the task at hand. Following your heart however started with listening to it's desires. And when these clashed with the identity you had created for your own persona – then there was nothing left but pain.

A mercenary does a job that can wound him. Flesh wounds, bullet wounds, or spells that can be healed. A broken son, friend or lover, however, has to bear his pain for a lifetime.

_ What broke you, Cloud? Or... who?  _ Aerith's thoughts started racing when her next deep breath pushed her body off the counter and her feet infront of him.

„It's time that you start beleiving in yourself", she reached her fingers up to his cheek caressingly, the tips of his hair grazing her skin. „You have been a hero for me from the moment you landed in my flower bed".

He appeared unmoved for a second, half expecting Aerith to giggle and break the spell of the moment. Then he closed his eyes to her touch, resting his face in her palm.

There was nothing left for him to add, no denying any more. After all, it was him who had stood up from his close death in the church to protect _her_ – a girl he barely knew, against the aggravations of Reno. It was him who stayed by her side the days since, never complaining about the missing payments. It was his decision to do all these things - following his gut? His heart? It didn't matter how one would like to call it – but Aerith was sure that taking the next step with her would also have to be his decision.

Cloud's eyes fluttered open and, with what seemed like a change of heart, he pushed her fingers down from his cheek.

„I'm... I'm not good at these things". He turned his face away.

„At what? _Feelings_?", Aerith began and giggled light-heartedly. „Oh, Cloud... no one is!".

Stepping forward she ran the tips of her fingers over the bulb of fire materia, that was still pulsating in his chest piece. He watched closely as her fingers trailed over his armor.

She forced her own chin up, meeting his eyes in a friendly tease: „That is - until they find someone to practice with...".

The challenging tone of her voice and the offer to learn seemed to hit Cloud straight into his soldier's heart.

„Is that so?".

„Oh you would be suprised. I am a great teacher", Aerith grinned and noticed the rythmic pulsing of his materia picking up pace, as both their heart rates increased.

Cloud scoffed but didn't hide a rare smile. In the dimly lit room the golden mako glow in his eyes seemed to turn into a light source on it's own.

He was finally going along with Aerith's innocent flirting. On second thought, Aerith wondered how innocent her intentions really were. Seducing this kind-hearted SOLDIER who had no plans of staying here any longer? Pushing him off his path to find his true belonging in this riddled world? Or was this her helping him after all?

She pushed these questions aside. They didn't matter anymore, he had stayed long enough to have figured out these matters on his own.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and suddenly the fire materia embedded right above his sternum glowed hot under Aerith's finger tips.

„Ow!", she pulled away her fingers in surprise at the sudden sting of pain.

Cloud grabbed her arm in a swift motion and before Aerith could realize what was happening he pulled her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to her heated skin.

„Be careful, teacher", he breathed, holding her hand only inches from his face still, „you might get burned".


	4. Chapter 3 - Sunset Flames (part2/2)

** Chapter 3 – Sunset Flames (part 2/2) **

** AN: Read part 1 of this chapter first. Enjoy!  **

* * *

\- **_Aerith_**

„Be careful, teacher", he breathed, holding her hand only inches from his face, „you might get burned".

There was no undertone to his voice, no mockery. Just a cool word of warning and a chilling calmness in his ocean eyes.

Aerith wanted to laugh him off or counter with a flirty joke. But she couldn't.

Her hand was radiating heat, though not from the burning sensation, but from his lips on her skin. Her mind could no longer form words, her body had taken over.

What was happening to her? She had been so confident with him, so sure that he was just as easy to play with as any other boy. It hadn't been much challenge so far, teasing the occasional smile out of the oh-so-stoic-mercenary he acted to be. But the warning cool of his eyes excited her in an all new way, rushing sweet anticipation through her, from where their hands were still touching into every muscle of her body.

He must have noticed the room filling with her suddenly heavy breathing. But still \- he didn't mock, he didn't tease.

Instead he slid an arm around her, steadying her shivering waist and allowed himself to pull her close. Her chest pressing against his, she could feel his breath on the fine hairs of her skin.

„Is this what you want?", Cloud asked, not loosening his grip on her body.

With her usual quirky attitude completely lost in the moment she could only answer a faint: „Yes".

He blinked and nodded once.

Aerith couldn't help but be reminded of his expression when accepting a mission. _Was this just another mission for him?_ Did she just help him give the responsibility for is decisions over, once more?

She could have kept agonizing about this, but the way his hands pressed into her neck and into her back, his thumb on her ribcage steadying her from tipping into him completely, had veiled her mental clarity.

With their faces almost touching, he held her like a cat would hold it's prey. Examining it before the kill. His sharp gaze traced over her features, a hand tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. All of a sudden she feared that it was him who would misguide her desires and not the other way around.

_ Don't play me now, soldier boy. _

The leather of a gloved hand wandered to her neck, another hand along her spine and with carefully applied pressure - arching her chest towards him. A helpless gasp escaped her lips as he pulled her neck closer and tilted her face ever so slightly.

Slower than Aerith's racing thoughts were demanding, he closed the space between them.

His lips grazed the corner of her mouth, as if he was just testing the sensation. She wanted to lean into his body, into a kiss, but his hand was locking her head, not allowing her to define the speed of their movement, the distance between their lips. The tenseness of his hold was nearly unbearable as her body screamed for his touch, her thoughts begging for his lips on her's.

His face came down a second time, this time no longer just teasing. His hand locked her jaw now, his fingers digging into the skin behind her ear and in a motion he finally let their lips lock. Slowly, his lips moved on her's, his tongue carefully easing her mouth open. Aerith felt like her feet might lose contact with the ground, no with the world, any second now, as their lips pushed together and pulled apart. Soft moans hummed around them as he pulled away slightly, the tip of his tongue slipping over her open lips in slow circles. She pushed onto her toes, his hold relaxing as he let her gain control. She wanted more of him, more speed to their motions, eagerly demanding more with her tongue. But he wouldn't let her. The second her movement against his lips became too hasty he broke their embrace.

„No need to rush", he steadied her. She scoffed inside but laughed it off.

Pushing up against his face again, her teeth caught his lower lip, nibbling for a second, then bighting down harder and pulling away in a short-lived giggle.

„Don't -", Cloud exhaled sharply into her ear, his voice tainted by a raspy moan. His grip around her waist tightened again, as he picked her up and pushed her against the wall. He pinned her arms on her back in a single movement and tipped her chin upwards with the fingers of his free hand.

„Don't bite me", he hissed, „you don't want me to think that you are a threat."

Aerith suppressed a smile and he relaxed the pull on her chin.

„Aye, aye, captain."

He huffed unamusedly at her response, but didn't release his hold. Instead his fingers slowly trailed down her chin to her shoulders and pushed off her cropped leather jacket. The heavy material slipped down her pinned arms and he released her just long enough to make it fall to the floor. His tongue ran down her chest, his lips softly pushing away the fabric of her dress until his fingers finally unlaced her corset.

Before pulling the final string of the corset he locked eyes again, testing for an objection. Testing for her consent. But the last thing she wanted now was for him to stop.

Aerith dug her nails into his neck, pulling his hair, as the corset of her dress slid down to her hips. Her bare breasts fell towards Cloud's chest and she watched as he bent down to caress their forms. All the while his hips were locking her against the wall, a pressure that made her intestines vibrate.

Keeping her pinned against the wall with the weight of his body, he pulled off his left glove and let it fall to the ground carelessly. He dipped into her for another slow, deep kiss, tongues meeting in her mouth and the moist air between their faces. His gloved hand pulled her neck to his face, while the bare fingers of his left found their way from her breasts to her thigh.

He pushed her remaining skirt upward, and drove her pelvis even deeper against the wall.

A moan escaping both their mouths filled the room, when his hand finally, _finally_ trailed over her panty line. His palm stroked up to her belly, affirming his strong hold of her with another push of her waist into the wall. She yelped softly and their kiss broke when Cloud pulled his head from her's.

„You need to tell me when to stop", he ushered, sincerely.

Aerith smiled but motioned him to continue, feeling validated in her decision to be interested in this boy for more than just a bodyguard.

His palm cupped her panty now, in circular motions pulsing through the thin material and onto her swelling sex. She moaned when his tongue pushed into her mouth slowly, while his fingers applied the most delicous pressure between her legs. She curled and shivered under his slow and silent movements against her. Her nipples rubbed against his armor and she cursed when the intensity suddenly became too strong.

„Take it off" she insisted and pulled on the clothing that was spanning tightly across his chest. By now, the materia in his chest plate was gleaming feverishly at the general excitement of the room.

Cloud released his weight from hers and unbuckled his shoulder pad before placing it on a table. Stepping up to her again he pulled the plate and the fabric of his shirt above his head and let it glide to the floor.

Aerith marveled at the wonderfully appealing proportions of his upper body. The face of a battle angel on a core of pure marble. She wanted to press her palms on this skin once more, like she had done when she healed his rash. Feel his heart beating on the inside of his chest.

But at the sight of his brilliantly bare skin she suddenly realized what they were doing. _They were about to have sex in the orphanage._ She hadn't thought this through. Even with the door locked and there being no chance of someone - or some _kid -_ stumbling in here unknowingly, she couldn't risk getting caught. They would wonder where she had gone off to, or even worry something might have happened, if she wasn't to congratulate the children at the end of the ceremony.

Cloud, who couldn't hear the excited but very distraught thoughts that suddenly rampaged inside her head, laid his hands back around her waist. Pressing his bare chest against her's into the wall. A motion that made Aerith's groins scream in glorious lust.

„Wait... wait!", Aerith broke their tightness with every last bit of self-dicipline she could muster, „We – I have to get back to the ceremony".

The focused gleam in Cloud's eyes immediately faded. He stepped back from the wall, releasing her thobbing body of his weight.

Aerith tried to shake off the heated tension with a deep breath. She bit her lip at the acute wave of dissatisfaction that came rumbling through her like an angrily echoing tune.

Yes, she had expected them to kiss today, yes maybe even more than just a simple peck on the lips. After all, she had been laying the foundation for days now and, other than running out of sarcastic comebacks, her cute soldier-boy didn't really seem to find her approaches off-putting. _And he certainly had enough opportunities to simply leave._

But no matter the fact, that she had been fantasizing about him at night, sleeping just a mere storey above her, she wouldn't have thought that they'd end up half naked – breathless - in the orphanage's tutoring rooms.

She had to laugh at the whole of the situation but felt ashamed and annoyed at the same time. Ashamed at the thought of having to explain why she had left her duties to Miss Folia. Annoyed, and in truth quite sad, that he might change his mind over the days to come.

„I'm really sorry, Cloud-"

„Don't be. Not about that. Ever."

He helped her lace up her dress and pulled his armor back on in silence.

Before clicking open the lock to the world that they had left behind, Aerith stopped short.

„I think we should try this again sometime".

He met her eyes ever so briefly.

„Yeah", he turned his face to the door, „we should."


	5. Chapter 4 - Playground Limits (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **  
>  AN:  
> The beginning of this chapter is built upon the scene and dialogue of the  
> „playground cutscene" directly from the game - however i gave this scene  
> my own twist. You can watch the actual scene if you search for „playground  
> scene final fantasy remake" on Youtube.  
>  **  
> 

** As always – enjoy! **

* * *

\- **_Cloud._**

The hard metal pushing into into his backside was the only thing that held Cloud in his reality. An overbearing throb inside his skull pushed muzzled thoughts around in his head, shoving images of past and present into each other, painfully overlapping emotions and memories in a way that made sense for a split second and then again meant absolutely nothing to him.

Words – no, letters just - appeared in his inner vision, then faded into spatters of blood, blotching his mind from anything coherent. Faces he couldn't put names to. Places he couldn't appoint to any map.

„Are you okay?", a worried female voice drung through to the primal part of his brain that was there to keep him alive, that made him continue to breath. He swallowed and focused back on what he could be sure to label _real_ to this moment.

_ Focus on the small things, focus on the quiet thoughts, the shy certainties of your surrounding.  _

Caught in the tumultuous orchestra playing inside his head, he remembered this technique from his training.

_ Ignore the fears being drawn on the canvas of your brain, shut out the possibilities of what  _ could _be and concentrate on what actually_ is.

It was a method used to overcome panic attacks in the face of war, something that even the toughest SOLDIERs had to learn to deal with - if not for themselves, then for their comrades. His brain was thankful for the instructions to kick back into gear.

Sturdy metal, that his boots connected with, a slight discomfort of the hardness of the seat. The dampness of his finger tips beneath his heavy gloves, and a chill of evening air on his skin. _Wind! You are outside, Cloud. But where?_ The reak of mako tickled his nostrils – _the slums! Why are you here?_ The girl, her voice, a stranger's breath on his skin. No – not a stranger. _Aerith._

They were talking, seated atop a large playground element formed of bulbuous steal. Cloud abruptly realized that he couldn't recall the last thing she had said. He could have asked her, but he was too ashamed to explain his strange panic attacks, that this wasn't the first black-out he had experienced in the last weeks.

„Wow... Your eyes!", Aerith pearched up infront of him, drawing her face close to his. He was thankful for the change of subject.

„Oh.", he breathed, looking away „It's ´cause of the mako. All SOLDIERs have them."

She shuffled, uncomfortably beside him, her voice tinged with sadness.

„Yeah. I know."

Cloud's mind nudged him to ask her why his eyes would make her sad. Would make her turn herself away from him. But he couldn't get himself to.

He remembered now why he was here. It was a good-bye. Aerith had helped him navigate through the passage all the way to the Sector's edge. And now, here they were. On a deserted playground infront of the gates seperating Sector 5 and Sector 7.

A good-bye that he had been procrastinating for too long already.

Aerith got up and dusted off her skirt twitchily.

„Sorry, I'm bumming you out", with a clumsy motion she hopped down from the old steal construct.

Cloud rid his thoughts from the aftershock of his disfigured memories and forced himself up on his feet too. His legs felt heavy.

He jumped off and landed less than a step from her. Too close for mere strangers to be standing. Too far apart for a true lovers-goodbye.

„You're not bumming me out", he stated simply, bringing himself to express the truth in his mind.

He looked at her. Her dress was tattered from the passageway they had fought their way through. Her cheeks were smeered with the brown dust of the crumbling debris surrounding the place.

„It's a shame mother insisted on you leaving", Aerith began, the hurt in her eyes undeniably apparent, „but i guess you wouldn't have wanted to stay much longer anyways."

It didn't sound like statement, though. It was a question. She wanted him to say that he would stay. Or say at least that it pained him to leave her. It did pain him. But acknowledging this to her, meant acknowledging it to himself.

He felt the memory of her body in his hands from two nights ago. Her liberated purring under his touch. The bitterness of having to end the pleasure right then and there.

It hadn't come to another such encounter. Maybe it was the general excitement of that night's celebration, the tipsiness of the sweet liquor they had been drinking. Maybe she regretted it in the end. He couldn't say. But he didn't.

Regardless, her mother protesting against a prolonged stay was helping him make the decision, that had to be made _._

_ Find back to Sector 7, Cloud. You have an unfinished mission waiting there for you. And Tifa. _

The thought of Tifa made his stomach lurch. He shoved it aside.

„What I wanted to say was - it was nice having you around, Cloud", she forced a smile on her face. „Really nice."

He fought off the confession that he thought so too. Fought the overwhelming feeling of wanting to wrap her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright. It carved a hole inside of him.

_ Don't make this harder than it has to be. _

„You knew that I wouldn't stay for long". In an attempt to take back the unintended sharpness of his words, he quickly added „Thanks for taking care of me… when I crashed through the roof, I mean."

The skin at the corners of her eyes crinkled into contended little lines.

„Sector 5 – helping fallen soldiers find back on their feet", she curtsied deeply in an overdramatic performance of her sarcasm. Then, giggling, came back to her tall stance. „Anytime, Cloud."

The joke left her eyes again as she stepped around the playground's square, fingertips trickling through her braid.

„But you're right. I did know that you would leave – _eventually",_ she confirmed. „Who would have thought this fallen angel would take flight so soon though?"

Cloud felt his brows push together in a frown.

„I'm sorry", she started, giggling suddenly. She flailed a hand infront of her face, physically trying to rid herself of her laughter, „but you just looked so _cute_ when you landed in those flowers. You know - with all the petals surrounding you – for a second, you didn't look so damn serious."

He exhaled sharply.

„Serious, huh?"

„Oh, yeah", Aerith nodded, „like - with your big scary sword. And your angry face. Serious!"

She was just provoking now. To what effect though? Cloud didn't take the bait. He couldn't do this. Couldn't get in on this game. He didn't have the time.

He turned a shoulder to her and let his eyes trail over the gate seperating him from Sector 7. A massive steal construct loaded with modern fire objectives that would aim at any unauthorized passersby. He crammed in the back of his head to his training on the exact placement of their defense-mechanisms, their activator-signals and the algorythm behind their coding . It would't be an easy task to get through that gate.

He was silently calculating the force it would take to unhinge the 25.000 volts lockdown-reaction with his buster sword, when Aerith broke his trail of thought.

„Anyways, I didn't think this fallen soldier, who looked like he couldn't hurt a wee ladybug, would end up hurting _me_."

The smile on her lips wasn't reflective of the tone of her words. Only her eyes were telling a different story. He was confused. So _fucking_ confused by this girl.

It must have been this very confusion that made his fingers coil to an angry fist, then unclench and grasp her shoulders between his hands. A startled look flashed across her face, but Cloud couldn't bear looking at her for more than a split second, risk seeing the hurt in her eyes reflecting his own. He pressed a hand to her neck and pushed the hard of their foreheads together, faces to the ground.

„Aerith – I told you I'm no good at –", he began through clenched teeth, nearly spitting his words at their feet. He was angry at her, but mostly angry at himself. Quickly thinking the better of it, he broke away from her again.

„No good at what, _Cloud_?" she smiled still, but her patience was running short. „There is a difference between being no good at expressing yourself and using that as an excuse to be a righteous dick".

There it was again. This unexpected provocation in her voice.

„I'm not a –", but tonight didn't seem to be Cloud's night to finish sentences.

He caught her by the wrist just before her palm could strike his cheek in a charged slap - full force. She hadn't held back.

„What do you want to hear from me?" he demanded helplessly.

The harmless flower girl turned into a fiery turmoil of emotions, tensing against his grip on her arm like a rabbit in a beartrap. Cloud watched as anger, hurt and loneliness flashed through her eyes in that order. Or at least those were the emotions he could make out in the frenzy of her struggle.

„I want you to tell me that you'll miss me! I want you to take responsibility for staying the last days, when you could have left the night I found you. You can't just waltz into someone's life like that and act like it meant nothing to you", she screamed at him, her words seemed to be tumbling unfiltered from her thoughts directly into his conscience.

She bit down on her lip in embarassment at the outburst. Letting her head sink, her arms gave up the pointless struggle.

Cloud lowered her arm, loosening but not yet realeasing her wrist completely.

„I didn't think it would affect –"

„Yes Cloud, you didn't think."

His mother's words suddenly came to his mind: „Women must be throwing themselves at you in hoards", she had remarked when he had come home after many seasons in the training camps.

„Not really", he had replied, but it was a lie. Shinra supplied female company to their troops occasionally. And yes, he needn't menace them or abuse his strength to have company for the night, like some of the other SOLDIER's did. But the girl's they brought into the training grounds were nothing more than a hive-mind of Shinra's propaganda. Robbed of their opinions. Void of a single original thought.

Cloud grimaced at the memory of the _ignorance_ he had treated these girls with. _Ignorance_ , he huffed. A meak word for the objects his detached mind had degraded them to.

Aerith wasn't like them. But he didn't beleive he could shed his emotional detachment towards females in any amount of time that would be fair to her.

„I'm not good for you, Aerith."

But she just shook her head. „Prove it then."

* * *

** AN: part 2 will be picking up exactly where this left off. **


	6. Chapter 4 - Playground Limits (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** AN: Trigger Warning – Submission through physical force. Sexual violence. **

** Chapter 4 – Playground Limits (part 2) **

* * *

**_ -Cloud _ **

„I'm not good for you, Aerith."

But she just shook her head. „Prove it then."

He dismissed her demand with a sigh.

„I'll miss you", he confessed, fulfilling what she had asked of him earlier.

„Good". With a step she laid her palms on the armor of his stomach, a push to her toes making her face tip close to his. „Now show me. Show me how you'll miss me. Show me how you are no good for me."

He let go of her arm incredulously, his hands curling to agitated fists at both sides of his body _._

_ Let it go, _ he thought. But her words had shifted something in his mind, knocking over the first piece in a chain reaction that sent the mako-glazed parts of his brain buzzing. The parts that loaded his hits with inhumane power, his reactions with ungodly speed and his mind with this _angry_ restlessness.

_ If she asks for this - then fine. Give her the side of yourself that she chooses to ignore. _

A painful pressure suddenly spread itself on the inside of his skull. It felt to him like the creeping up of another panic attack, just this one demanding in a whole different way. The pressure wasn't causing a numbness to the point of a black-out, nor drawing up gruesome images. Instead, he felt like the marionette's strings that had been attached to his limbs the day he bathed in mako were suddenly being played at. Shinra – a puppetteer suddenly overriding his mind.

In a motion that he had no control over he pushed her hands off of him and spun her around with a shove to her shoulders.

Cloud gripped her by the braid and jerked her head up infront of him, arching her body onto the steal, her neck into a curve. She quivered, tensing under his body. Cloud's fingers dug into her braid to secure his hold. His other hand keeping her arms down in the small of her back.

He saw Aerith clench her teeth. But she didn't object to his roughness. She was going to take it. He hated that she would let him treat her like this. He was so inexplicably _mad_ at her suddenly, and this madness only added to the force behind his motions.

His fingers flew to the ribbon in her hair. That _fucking_ ribbon, that looked so cute when she bobbed her head in laughter. He pulled on it's side and it came lose, sprawling her waves all over her back.

Impatiently he dug into her waist, grabbing to spin her around towards him. Her eyes were tinged red, but she held his gaze, her chin held high. For a moment they both panted breathlessly, heartbeats vibrating through their cores. Aerith winced audibly when he dodged a kiss. The force guiding his motions didn't aim to give her satisfaction. Instead, it made him trace her jawline with the rough material of a gloved hand. He laced her ribbon through his fingers, to her jaw and finally around her throat. The peachy fabric closed around her neck and a voice inside his head demanded that he shall pull.

_ Pull hard and make her learn her lesson. _

He tightened the ribbon to dig into her skin and Aerith shuffled against the pain. She tried to jerk her head from the tightness, gasping for air.

A voice somewhere in the back of his mind was fighting the brutal pressure it made him put on Aerith's body. But he couldn't get a grasp on it, he was nothing but a mere bystander.

When the ribbon dug into her skin even further, causing Aerith to gag, Cloud suddenly realized what was happening. The mako was trying to severe his connection to this girl, as if protecting Shinra should be his focus, not Aerith.

The girl coiled under the tension, her arms now struggling against his grip.

_ Pull tight. Pull tighter and teach her to stear clear of you, SOLDIER. _

Something called to the muscles in his hand. It sent a twitch down his arm, a current into his fingers. And, in an alien spasm, he watched his hand tighten the ribbon. _Tighter!_ The sound of a yelped gagging deep from someone's throat suddenly echoed through his mind. _Tighter_! A breathless stuttering of a tear filled cry to stop _– stop – stop! – Cloud! – Cloud!- STOP_

Aerith's boot managed to roar backwards to his shin and the sudden stagger made him come to his senses. Or at least – one of them. _This is not you._ _This is not right._

Abruptly he lifted his hands off her, the ribbon on her neck flying into the air from his motion. He fell away backwards, physically trying to distance him from whatever force was guiding his body, numbing his thoughts to the point where he had nearly just suffocated a girl.

Aerith hands darted to her throat as she stood, stumbling, coughing in front of him. The sight seemed to make him haze out of something, coming down from an agonizing high of a drug he hadn't wanted to ingest. The mako had made him move, had made him do this to her. Or was that just an easy excuse? The realization that it didn't matter – that the mako would be a part of him forever - suddenly made him want to throw up.

He pushed himself up, away from it's luring pulses still waving through his mind. He stepped towards her, mumbling over and over again how sorry he was under his breath. Stuttering in broken words that he hadn't mean to – that the mako – that –

He was scared that she might push him away, she had all reason too. But she didn't. She must have recognized something in his eyes, something that she knew about the mako pulsing in his irises, that he – up to this point - hadn't.

A memory flitted across his vision. Had they been talking about another SOLDIER before? Had someone else had these attacks in her presence once? She seemed too calm, too understanding in contrast to the sharp red lines that were showing on her neck now. That must be it. The reason that she understood him.

She stopped coughing and tear-filled eyes met his. His shaking hands draped over her back and tried to soothe her of the pain that he himself had inflicted. _Monster, monster. You're no good for her._

Exhaustion coming over her, she mirrored his touch, embracing him inside her hug. His face was resting on her shoulders, his throat building up an ugly sob.

They stood like that and the minutes passed, her silent tears trailing down on his bare arms, his sobbing shaking through their bodies, clutching each other close.

When they pulled away, Aerith was smiling in a way that was neither mad nor resentful. Like a mother smiling at her child after it stepped on a shard that he himself had broken.

Cloud needed this smile in his life. He wasn't thinking anymore, couldn't think after what had just happened.

He laid his lips on hers. It was a desperate kiss. A quiet confession. A silent plea for her to fix something inside of him, that he hadn't known needed fixing.


	7. Chapter 5 - Market Mysteries (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** AN: Feel free to leave a comment, kudos, a review, a blurb of any kind! It always makes my day! **

* * *

**_ -Aerith _ **

Wall Market was spectacular. She had heard of the place from the other girls in Sector 5 and from her mother aswell. The girls - of course - had insisted that she would go if she ever had the opportunity. Her mother, on the other hand, had unmistakenly advised her not to.

Walking amongst the dazzling neon lights she could definitely understand both sides. Gaming halls and public karaoke-stages erupted in light shows and music spilled out into the streets from every second building. It was an epicenter of entertainment, an ecosystem of bars, restaurants and illegal fighting rings.

She came down a flight of stairs, losing herself in the fluidity of the market's levels, when a corridor of food stalls gave way to what seemed like an open-air nightbar. It stretched across an entire storey, the starset sky above barely visible in it's dancing lights.

Grouping around tables and worn out velvet couches Aerith found a caleidoscope of people of all genders and ages. Their styles seemed independently unique from one another but connected through a heavy use of metal chains as jewelry and fabrics that blurred the lines between archaism and mechatronics.A woman was dressed in what seemed like a gown of shimmering Drake scales, a bulky young guy covered his entire body with an armor clustered in pieces of a chainsaw – an impractical piece of clothing if you were to ask Aerith - and a man wore boots that churned with every step, the metal debris recycled to some sort of mechanical footwear. An overuse of sweet perfume mixing with the smell of freshly cooked meals from the storeys above, made the air seem thicker, every step down here a dip into an even obscurer partying realm.

Aerith recognized the humming music in the background as a take on an old jukebox tune and was reminded of the orphanage's children dancing in the community center with a flutter of guilt. She had left them for a boy.

She grimaced at the thought of having to confess that she left on a whim in the middle of the night - _left with a SOLDIER_. She would have to find a working telephone connection in the morning and call her mother to explain. _I followed the boy you explicitely warned me about. No, I don't know when I'll be back. Yes, I stole the wind-materia from your secret place in the jewelry box. Good talk mum, gotta go save his gorgeous female „friend" from some super dangerous guy called Don Corneo now. Love ya!_

She would have to take care of that tomorrow.

For tonight she wanted to focus on the tantalizing atmosphere surrounding her. She stood amidst the bar's square now and everyone around was drinking cocktails and enjoying the hedonistic liberty this magical place had to offer.

„Hey there, lonely chica", someone called out in her direction, „how ´bout you join us for a drink?"

She turned around to see a group of middle-aged men sitting at a table. On the table next to them they had balanced a glass pitcher as large as a chocobo's belly, filled to the rim with shimmering liquid. It must have cost a small fortune.

The men's attires fit perfectly into the unfamiliar extravaganza this whole place seemed to ooze, with punkish undercuts and their muscles bulging under fashionably torn metal-laden clothes. They collectively wooed and whisteled when they saw Aerith marvel at the pitcher's glass construction.

She waved off their invite with a smile, „Thanks, but I'm just passing".

One of the larger men got up to block her way.

„Oh, but a pretty thing like you can't stumble ´round here all alone", he said, the intoxication from the drink giving his voice a smeary edge.

„There's enough here for all the ladies", a different man added and patted the glass of the pitcher with about the same pride as a child with a new toy car. Then he motioned to his friends „and enough of us as well!".

Rumbling laughs shook through the group.

Aerith tensed when the large man reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

„I promise - we'll have fun."

She shoved his greasy hand off of her, pushing him backwards.

„I said thanks, but no thanks!"

The man cussed under his breath when she ran towards him, striking his shoulder with her's in a flash and ducked away to the nearest steps leading back upwards.

„Stupid whore!"

Aerith was already half a storey above when she slipped into a shadow on the narrow staircase and pressed her body against the wall. She dug into her leather jacket for the wind materia she had pocketed from her mother.

In an effort to attract no attention in the Market, she scanned for the eyes of passing people descending the staircase. When she was sure that she had the moment to herself she laid the silver bulb flat out on her palm.

It's surface glittered in silver twinkles as Aerith hummed a low melody and blew onto it, every so lightly. A prickly feeling stretched across her skin, lifting the fine hair on her forearms.

_ Wind, wind, wind. _

The shrill _crash_ of the pitcher breaking on the ground was a magnificent sound to her ears.

In a swoop she pushed herself to the railing, oggling down at the chaotic scene a single perfectly placed gush of wind had caused. Glass shards lay scattered between the cat-caller's tables and their holy liquid was wasted to the ground. They began screaming at each other, searching for the clumsy culprit that must have caused the pitcher to come down crashing.

When Aerith spotted the first of many fists flying between them she hopped back up the rest of the stairs, very pleased with herself.

Up above she was still gleeming from her little trick as she came into a zone that looked like the flee-markets she knew from home. A maze of obscure stands opened it's crooked streets up infront of her and she felt eager to breeze through every one of them. The smells changed from the pang of alcohol to a more neutral mix of herbs and spices, dusty carpets and an unfamiliar smell that she learnt to be tattooer's ink.

„A nice new cloak for the young lady?"

An elderly woman stood behind a stall that nearly covered the entirety of her obese silhouette with clothing. Cloaks and shawls, weird curtain drapings and loose pieces of cloth hung from crooked hangers and stacked in neatly folded heaps on the wooden stand. When she stopped to take in the stall, the old woman pushed one of the shawls straight up into Aerith's face, nearly touching her skin with the material.

„Fits to ya eyes! And perfect to hide those lovebites from ya husband, eh?" the old lady said with a wink.

Taken aback, Aerith's hand flew to her neck. In a powdery mirror she noticed that the searing red markings from last night had started to turn into blue bruises. Lovebites _. If only._

„How much?" Aerith asked.

„Usually 1000 gils, but for a woman in need like yaself… -", her eyes trailed back over the markings on her neck „ -I'll make it 900. We women have to stick together, eh?" she added with another wink, the kind that didn't feel reassuring at all.

Aerith ran her fingers over the patterned material. It was a minty spring green with even lighter highlights. It reminded her of an unkept meadow with airy grass stalks. The rough material itself must have been made from pressed cockatrice-feathers and was was probably not worth more than 300 gils. But it _was_ awfully pretty. And suddenly she did also want to cover up her neck from more curious onlookers.

„400", Aerith heckled.

„800 and not a gil less!" the woman nodded. „But –", for a moment her head vanished as she ducked behind the counter, shuffling around in a box„you'll get a little something extra for that price."

She bobbed back up with a short chain stretched between her thumb and index-finger. On it dangled a silverish piece of metall, not much larger than a coin, but inherently thicker.

„It's a leetis", the shopkeeper said.

„Sorry, a what?"

The old woman chuckled, the movement making the belly rolls roam freely under her loosely draped clothing.

„I'm guessing it's ya first time here, eh? Should definitely keep one on ya at all times".

Without further instruction, Aerith took the curious piece from her hand and pressed it between her fingers. A blade flicked out at one side and suddenly the harmless looking pendant had turned into a potent secret weapon.

The shopkeeper leaned forward on her arms, her lips to Aerith's ears.

„If a pretty one like yaself ever be invited to one of the partys up on that darn hill-„ she nudged her head towards the goldenly illuminated house that sat high atop, overlooking all of Wall Market, „let's just say these men will be happy to search for weapons on a body like yaws. But this one - ah if ya hide it just right they be too stupid to find it on ya". She leant backwards again and motioned a finger down her own neckline.

Aerith clicked back the leetis' blade and slipped it under her corset. To her suprise, it fit quite snuggly between her breasts.

She pulled 800 gil from her boot and laid them on the table. The woman counted the money and Aerith took a moment to fix her shawl in the shop's specked mirrors.

The green of the shawl did indeed fit well to her eyes, but most importantly it also covered up the bruises Cloud had caused the night before.

_ Not, not Cloud. The mako _ .

The unstable force inside SOLDIER's bodies. A helpful little thing Shinra had done by infusing them with altered mako, ideal to turn SOLDIERs even more ruthless in battle.

On the playground last night Aerith had known what was happening the moment she saw the gold in his eyes liquify. The pulsing of battle fever. She had seen the look before - in someone else's eyes. In _his_ eyes. She didn't even want to think his name, look at his face in the dampness of her memory. It was a different life.

But in truth she realized, that it was the same unstable mako pulsing through both boy's veins. _Was it just the mako pulling her to him?_

She stepped away from the shop and swayed back in the direction of the inn. Cloud would be waiting there. _Cloud and his darn mako-eyes._


	8. Chapter 5 - Market Mysteries (part 2)

**_ -Aerith _ **

* * *

Aerith's feet found themselves infront of the shabby inn on Wall Market's outer circuits and she spotted Cloud, resting on the flat steps that led up to the inn's wooden porch. He was stabbing chopsticks at something in a carton, his gaze set into nothing.

She pushed the memory of their kiss from her mind. The kiss they had shared at the playground mere seconds before the gates had screached apart and Tifa's appearence had nudged him right back to his usual stoic SOLDIER-self.

„Heya", Aerith said and let herself plop down next to him.

He scooched a little.

„What's that you're eating?"

„Some-", Cloud picked up a meatball with his chopsticks clumsily, but his handling made it flop right back into the box. He turned away in a blush and pushed a paper bag towards her. „Some noodle dish with meatballs. I took two."

Aerith peeled open the box and the exotic smell made her hungry all of a sudden. She fumbled the chopsticks from the bag and dug into her meal.

From the corner of her eye she noticed Cloud watching her motions as she was picking up the vegetables and noodels, bringing them to her mouth with ease. Cloud set his own box down and Aerith realized with a smile that he couldn't eat with chopsticks.

„What you mentioned before… growing up in Nibelheim with Tifa - ", she said between bites, „that must have been a whole different world from today's Midgar".

„I guess."

When she had emptied her box, she grabbed his.

„You eating this?"

He frowned but didn't confess to his chopstick problem.

„I'm kidding. Open up!" she giggled and before Cloud could object she pushed a meatball into his mouth. He chewed, embarrassment drawing upon his features.

Aerith clicked her fingers against the wooden sticks.

„Like this, look. You try!"

He followed her motions, picking up the correct handling quickly and with a thankful nod ate the rest of his box.

Aerith got up, dusted her skirt off and tossed their empty boxes into something that resembled an underground waste-pit. She felt an unsettling rumble beneeth her feet when her rubbish was gobbled up in it's depths.

Cloud watched her from the steps, gnawking on silent thoughts he wouldn't share. His eyes trailed over the shawl around her neck and he opened his mouth as if to say something about it. Then, changing his mind, turned his eyes away.

They hadn't talked much about what had happened on the playground yesterday. Aerith's outburst of emotions at the thought of him leaving. _The ribbon's tightness around her neck._

Somehow, it seemed like the kiss they had shared afterwards had sealed a quiet agreement that they were dealing with a force, greater than each of them could handle on their own. Apart from the mako and it's effect on Cloud's mind – there was still the matter of the attraction between them. _That kiss, that kiss._

„We should… get some rest", he said, regaining his facade and pushed himself to his feet.

Aerith followed him into the lobby of the shabby inn.

The place was quiet in comparison to the bustling streets of the Market's center. A single drunken man had fallen asleep on the lobby's faded couches and a dusty jukebox was singing a tune of ancient instruments, the sad melody rivaling the man's snoring.

They stepped up to the counter, where a disgruntled booking-clerk got up from his slouch in an armchair. He handed them a single key-chain in exchange for way too much money.

„Just one?" Cloud said back at the man, his charged gaze meeting an equal.

„Well it seems that your reservation for the president's suit didn't _quite_ go through this time", he said, but sighed at Cloud's tensing fists. He sunk himself back into the armchair.

„Ah don't take it personally, kiddos. It's the Colosseum. Driving all the tourists here for the festivities this week, ya know? Many viewers –", he motioned his hands to the corridors, „many rooms! We're booked out for that prize category you're movin' in… and several above."

Aerith laid her hand on Cloud's shoulder.

„It's just one night. It's fine", she said.

The clerk snorted a laugh.

„See! The missus can't wait to have some alone time with ya anyways!" his laughter vibrated across the lobby floors. "Make sure I don't have ya neighbours complain 'bout her _screamin_ '!"

In a second Cloud's stride closed the space to the counter, pushing his body over it and – _thud thud_ \- his boots landed infront of the man.

„Say that again", Cloud said, his stance above the clerk was broad, towering.

Cloud looked like he was about to storm back outside, scramble down that waste-pipe, fetch the chopsticks with all their spicy residue and climb back up just to shove them in this man's eyes.

„Cloud – let it go", Aerith said, silently frolocking at his chivalry. „We don't want to cause a scene. Think about Tifa!"

The clerk nodded vicariously in agreement with her words, shrinking back into his armchair. Cloud's gaze rested on him a moment longer, still contemplating his mercy as he peeled himself away.

They walked from the lobby, passing corridors that smelled of mold and cheap soap.

Cloud wavered before creaking their door open.

„We'll find something seperate tomorrow", he confirmed - half to her, half to himself.

There were two beds in the room and Aerith noticed Cloud's shoulders relax at that realization. He freed his back off the sword and balanced it against the wall before excusing himself outside.

Aerith stripped her shoulders off her shawl and jacket and kicked away her boots, carelessly dropping everything to the ground. She stetched her tired body over the bed.

_ There must be alot more going on behind that blond head, than he is letting through _ , she thought staring up at the ceiling. Her fingers traced little circles on the soft of the duvet as she lay back, counting the cracks in the wood above her head. _The mako-halluzinations that were occurring more often than he could control. And then there was Tifa. Whatever was was going on between them._

Aerith wasn't jealous. Jealousy was the wrong term. It was more of a curiosity towards what kind of girl would make Cloud gladly mess with the man who was dictating the entire sector.

„I – I never wanted to hurt you."

Aerith sat up at the sound of Cloud's voice, who had reappeared from the showers, a towel draped around his waist. He was looking down at her shawl between his feet, waterdrops trinkling from his body onto it's pastel colors on the floor.

He didn't meet her eyes.

„It's not your fault. It's what Shinra did to –"

„No. It is."

She shook her head with a sigh.

„I knew someone who went through the same", she said.

Cloud peered up at her through wet strands of hair.

„What happened to him?"

„It drove him mad, and the people around him. But he learnt – he learnt to control it", she nodded once. „It helped him to be around people he could trust."

Cloud's expression faded with a distant thought and his gaze wandered back to the shawl crumpling on the floor.

He stood like that for a second before checking the door's lock once more. Then he flicked off the lights and slipped into his own bed.

They breathed into the silence of the room and Aerith's tumbled thoughts surrendered to the weight on her lids.

„Thank you, Aerith", she heard Cloud say, just before a dreamless sleep wrapped her in.


	9. Chapter 6 - Honey Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I deleted some chapters because I felt stuck with where this was going. Hope you enjoy this version. Would love to read your input :)

Cloud woke with surprising calm. 

There was no sign of the usual mako-induced anxious thoughts in his head, but rather a feeling of true rest soothing his entire system. 

He sat up in the shabby bed, the single movement already causing it to creak. He sighed inwardly when he remembered the hotel-owner, from the night before. _What an idiot_. He should feel lucky that he hadn’t caused a scene after what he had said. _I could have single handedly fought off every single one of the customers and ensured he’d never have guests round here again,_ Cloud thought. _Then again, this was Wall Market, so maybe the story of a SOLDIER gone berzerk in a civilian‘s inn would even be good PR for this place._

Cloud shook his head at his imaginated scene and rubbed his eyes.

Beside him, a mere meter away, brown locks cast their waves over the crumpled bed-sheets. Aerith’s ribbon must have gotten lose at night. Had she tossed that much in a restless sleep? The warm brown of her hair looked so saturated against the merkiness of the greyish sheets…

Aerith’s arms hugged around a pillow and Cloud couldn’t make out her face. But the slow and heavy heaving of her torso told him that however restless her night’s sleep was, right now she was still dreaming of a more beauatiful world. And probably more comfortable beds.

Cloud slipped out of the bed quietly, careful not to be creaking the floor-boards. He shrugged on his chest plate and belt. He had stowed the buster blade right at the side of the nightstand,an old habit that remained from his time at Shinra’s training camps. When the heavy weapon sat back between his shoulders, he felt himself again, his mind springing awake completely.

 _Tifa._ He remembered. The reason why they were here. Where to start? What to do about it? They had a few more days to figure out a plan, the audition for whatever insane ceremony this Corneo-guy had planned was taking place in a week from now and there was no way he would let Tifa go through that alone. He had gotten a name, a place to go from this guy called Johnny the day before. Madame M.‘s parlor was apparently where they should head to first.

The sound of yawning made him break his trail of thought.

„Morning, Mr. SOLDIER“, Aerith said, her voice still raspy from sleep.

„Morning“, he said back, suddenly feeling awkward to be dressed and armoured while Aerith lay so vulnerably between her sheets. He sat back down on his bed.

„I dreamt I was a fairy flying over a dandelion field. Do you know dandelions, Cloud?“, Aerith asked and shifted on the bed. The most innocent of smiles made her face glow in a warmer light than the few sunrays that found their way through the dusty window could have cast.

Cloud shook his head, unsure what further to respond.

Aerith giggled and at that he felt his cheeks burn in unexpected embarrasment. 

„Nevermind“, she said, „I’ll show you, sometime!“

She gave a soft kick to the blanket and stretched herself up infront of her bed. Cloud dazedly watched her reach to the room’s ceiling with all her might, stretching her slender body like a cat waking up next to a fireplace.

„Have you been sitting like that all night?“ Aerith finally asked.

Cloud cleared his throat, but turned away from bare-footed and open-haired-Aerith. It seemed like such an intimitate sight. _Was she aware of her effect on men?_

„No. I just got up. I didn’t want to wake you.“

Aerith smiled and turned to put on her boots. „What a gentleman!“ she cooed with a wink.

***

They passed out of the hotel and back into Wall Market’s streets. The usual crowd had probably not woken up yet, because the atmosphere seemed vastly different than the day before. Chocobo carriages towing crates of beverage and food instead of beglittered party-people passed their way, and the rythmic sounds of bass-heavy music didn’t yet sound the pulse of the market.

„What a unique place“, Aerith remarked, half to herself, half to him, as they passed a big wall where large flyers of the Colosseum’s fighters and all kinds of advertisement were presented. The pictures were colorful, the people portrayed on them, the dazzling showcase-fighters or those who were selling their merchandise or their more or less legal services were dressed extravagently and showed off their defined bodies with pride. Cloud had never had to deal with this kind of vain propaganda before and even now didn’t understand what people saw in it. All these costumes, these colors – it seemed such a hastle. How impracticle would wearing a bejeweled piece of armor be in a real fight? He huffed at the brain-wash that these Wall-Market people were spending their time with and already wanted to pass around the corner, when he noticed that Aerith had frozen in place. She seemed somewhat starstruck, her head turned to one of the posters above, eyes wide and her lips parted in child-like wonder. He followed her gaze, curious what would make Aerith stop short like that and found her eyes on a particularly glamourous poster. _OPENING NIGHT – THE NEW HONEY BEE INN – MEET ANDREA RHODEA AT HIS NEW DANCE SHOW_

There was a man on the poster, he looked more mature than all the other uninspiring faces staring back at them. A neatly trimmed beard, broad shoulders and a tight fit of something that reminded Cloud of the training clothes they used to get. Besides the clothes it was something else that gravely reminded Cloud of his years in Shinra’s training – this man, the way he heald his head, his broad shoulders proudly towards the camera – he seemed to have total control over his body, one with his muscles. He carried the aura of a skilled fighter. 

Cloud peeled his eyes away with more difficulty than he’d want to confess too. Then again, it was only a poster.

But Aerith was still staring.

„Aerith?“, Cloud asked, shifting his weight in slight impatience. „We’ve got an appointment at that parlor – remember?“

„Can we go?“ Aerith blurted out.

„What?“

„Can we go?“, she repeated, lifting a slender arm to point at the poster. „Please, can we go? I promise I’ll do anything to help you with Tifa, but that man – that show! I’ve never heard of anything like it – “

Cloud felt a frown dig into his forehead. 

„You want to go… to the dance show?“

„Yes! Maybe we even find some insight on the audition there. I bet the people know all the gossip – and besides – how often do we have such an opportunity? And we still have a couple days, you – “

„Okay“, Cloud said, in a hope to stop all these words. He was used to getting up early, but he wasn’t used to anyone talking to him that much. His eyes trailed back over the mural. Was it jealousy he felt when he looked at Aerith and her excitement over this man? But she was right. It could be a good opportunity to mingle, to get access to further information.

„I guess that’s not a bad idea. If we find someone there who –“

„Yes? _Really_?“ Aerith cried out in excitement. When she lunged into a hug around Cloud’s neck in the next moment it nearly knocked the air out of his lungs. „It’s gonna be so much fun!“

***

Cloud counted the bills they had left. _That dress better be worth it_ , he thought when he tucked the last few hundred gils back into his pocket. 

Aerith walked giddily beside him as they passed through the streets that were growing ever busier with each moment of the setting sun. 

She happily told of how wonderful the fabrics had been, that she had gotten to try on, which fixes would have to be made to the dresses and that she had never before touched anything as _soft_ as the last dress she got to wear.

 _It’s nice seeing her this way_ , Cloud thought as they kept on walking side by side. _So at ease. As if she were talking about her flowers again._

„This Madame is quite the woman isn’t she?“, Aerith asked, after finishing her description of the last dresses she tried on.

Cloud didn’t meet her eyes. It would be a straightforward manner, he had thought. Bring Aerith to the parlor, make her chose a dress, pay the dress, leave. Instead he had somehow paid for a _massage_ , while Aerith was being dressed by one of the Madame’s lackeys.

He shrugged uncomfortably, trying to ignore the feeling of the oils that were still soothing the rough skin beneeth his gloves. „Yeah, I guess she is“, he fumbled for words, then cleared his throat. „Glad we got you a dress. Now we’ll just have to figure out how to get you inside“.

„Oh, Cloud. Are you always that _focused_? Won’t you spill the beans on the massage you got?“, Aerith giggled and lightly punched his shoulder. But when he met her eyes there was something more serious flickering up. Was it jealousy, he saw? Or a question of genuine curiosity?

„Spill the beans…?“, Cloud said.

„I think they made me try on thirty dresses, Cloud. _Thirty!_ For two hours! A two hours massage…?“, Aerith laughed, but tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear in a motion that was a little more hasty than usual. „I mean.. How was it? The massage?“

Her eyes were calm, her exterior unphased, the giggling no longer adding the warmth to her words. 

Cloud swallowed once, and felt is brows furrowed. What was she asking? Foolish girl. He sped up his steps, creating a little bit of distance between the two of them.

„My hands were _fine_ , before. They are _fine_ now.“

He felt her presence a step behind him, and knew this would not satisfy her. Sighing he stopped short, when they passed to a little plaza. He turned around and looked at her, her gaze still set intently on him.

„It felt… good. It was nice“, he finally added.

Aerith blinked, but didn’t say a thing. Then she nodded and smiled, but the smile didn’t crease her eyes, like it usually did. Like it did when she saw the poster of Andrea Rhodea and Honey Bee Inn. 

„Good for you. I bet you needed that!“, she gave back, rivaling Cloud’s non-chalonce.

The air between them felt tense when they reached the streets that led up to the inn. Cloud didn’t know exactly what he had expected when he saw that poster, but it was definitely not what he saw right now.

„Would you _look_ at this place!“ Aerith said and twirled around in the streetlights that illuminated the enormous complex. Dancing disco lights and strobo effects of neon colours formed like abstract hexagonal hyves moved rythmically around the half circle of the steps leading up into the establishment. The lights illuminated the end of the street, right at the entrance of the Inn and pulled the excited crowds closer like silly little moths.

„They weren’t lying about the grand-opening“, Cloud had to ackknowledge. But Aerith didn’t hear. 

With wonder in her eyes she made her way through the people and secured them a place in the waiting line. It didn’t take long until a girl in a bee costume stroke up a conversation with her and they seemed to be exchanging compliments for each other’s hair. Cloud felt a strong urge to roll his eyes, but caught up to Aerith, making him unpopular with the people he had to push past.

„Oh, sir! We’re terribly sorry but we cannot allow weapons during the show“, the bee-girl said to him with absurdly long lashes batting incessently.

„There’s a place in Wall Market where weapons are off-limits?“, Cloud asked, half mockingly but already felt his body shift to a pose of defense. He had no intention of going anywhere without his sword.

„We wouldn’t want you to block someone’s view with that… _massive_ sword of yours, sir“, the bee girl said and gave a a little giggle. But the look in her eyes, gave to understand that she was in fact, being serious. „We have lockers for those who come so well prepared. Right here, Sir!“. The bee motioned to a line of steal lockers, where the first fighters Cloud recognized from the Colosseum were reluctantly placing their weapons inside.

Cloud wanted to leave or say that there was no chance he’d giving up his sword, even just for an hour, when Aerith stepped between the two. She softly placed a hand on his chest.

„Mind if I talk to him for a moment?“, she said to the bee girl and gave Cloud a light shove to the side. Someone beside them in the increasingly crowded waiting-line cursed, when they backed into them.

Aerith mumbled a sorry, then turned back to Cloud, her green eyes blitzing in the neon-lights.

„How about, just for the night, we pretend that you’re not the big scary mercenary?“

Cloud’s eyes narrowed on her.

„Are you being serious?“, he asked.

Aerith nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. „You promised we’d look at this show tonight. If that’s what it takes – “

„I didn’t _promise_ anything, Aerith. We shouldn’t even be here. This –“

„Just for tonight! We got the dress! We’re on track with getting Tifa out of there“, Aerith said, releasing her arms, when someone gave her a shove from the side. She stumbled over into Cloud, catching herself with her hands on his broad chest plate. Instead of taking a step back, she remained like that and cast her eyes up to meet his again. A look of innocence drawing up inside her big green eyes.

„Come on“, she cooed with a smile, „it could be fun, you know.“

Cloud didn’t know what to say. When was the last time he had been weaponless with anyone? _Under Aerith’s garden-shower_ , he realized with a warmth spreading inside him at the memory. She had made him trust her, he realized. 

He shook the realization from his mind. This was a bustling, drunk crowd in the heart of Wall Market – their was no way he’d go into this place without proper protection. 

The shuffling of the queue pushed them even closer, her chest nearly pressing into his now. Cloud tried to ignore the feel of her finger tips on his chestand grabbed her by the wrists softly. He pulled her to the side of the queue, where less shuffling seemed to happen. 

„This is Wall Market and not the Sector 5 orphanage, Aerith“, Cloud said under his breath.

Aerith pouted dramatically, pulling her wrists from his hands. 

„Loosen up! Don’t you keep insisting that you’re an _ex_ -SOLDIER? How about you prove that for once?“

Cloud gritted his teeth. _Did this girl really think she could get everything she set her mind to?_

„Sir, it’s nearly your turn to buy the tickets. Please leave your sword now, or exit the queue“, the bee-girl chimed in again.

He growned inwardly and shot Aerith a look.

Loosen up, _loosen up._ Why did that comment provoke him so badly? He couldn’t say. But Cloud was convinced, that Aerith would go into this Inn, or rather this _excuse for a nightclub_ , with or without him. This was certainly not a place, for a girl like her to go alone.

Without giving Aerith the satisfaction of meeting her eyes, he stepped outside of the queue and pulled the blade from it’s fastening. With a skilled movement of his gloves he fumbled the materia, fire and lightning, from their slots and pocketed them, careful not to make any of the bee-staff notice. Better than nothing, he thought when he felt the fire-materia‘s warmth on the inside of his pocket. 

He closed the locker and got handed a number-card by one of the bee-girls. „A man like you doesn’t need a weapon to defend himself anyways“, she said with a high-pitched and overly professional laugh. Cloud noticed the ridiculously large yellow and black stinger on her back shake from side to side. He had seen quite a few over the top things that he couldn’t get behind here so far, but these bee-costumes had to be the height of it.

He nodded as if he agreed and found Aerith at the entrance of the Inn. She grinned at him and excitedly paid for their tickets.

 _Seems like she truly_ does _get everything she sets her mind to._


	10. Chapter 6 - Honey Nights (part 2 /3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thanks for the ongoing support!! Really like how this is turning out :)  
> This chapter will be a three-part at least, and I promise some  
> steam at the end ;-)

**Chapter 6 – Honey Nights (part 2)**

_-Cloud_

Cloud had never liked insects. 

Ever since stepping on a wasp’s nest in his childhood, back in Nibelheim, he couldn’t stand these little creatures. He remembered the day after the fateful trip into the forest, returning home with the shame and the agony of the dozens of stings on his body. His mother had patched him up, applied bandages and herbs as best she could. But the pain hadn’t even been the worst part. It was the embarrassment of Tifa seeing him like this, half mummified by all the bandages, with a swollen face and eyes so red that for days he could only make out the rough shapes of his beautiful childhood friend. But how she had giggled at the sight of him! That sound he hadn’t been spared.

Yet, even with his considerable insect-trauma in mind – the show that this Andrea Rhodea had put together was something undeniably breathtaking.  
A set of easily 30 dancers told a story of love, acceptance, tolerance and the joys of sexual pleasure – all the while wearing practically nothing but fishnet-tights, pointy heels and of course the obligatory bee-accessories: stingers, antennae and shimmering little wings.

_The wings really do add to the scene,_ Cloud caught himself thinking towards the end of the spectacle. Their fine structure caught the riveting neon beams that pulsed to the music and reflected them into even finer lights all over the grand theater hall. The crowd _uuh_ -ed and _aah-_ d when the King Bee (or Queen Bee?) Andrea Rhodea himself, got up on stage at the end of the show and bowed low for his exhilarated audience.

„Woo!“ Aerith cheered at Cloud’s side, apparently even more enthralled by the show’s magic. Like the crowds sitting in the countless rows infront of them, she threw up her hands, as they collectively demanded an encore. Cloud noticed that she wore the same starstruck expression as when she had first regarded the poster. Her cheeks glowed an excited pink that, especially in the glow emminating from the shimmering stagelights, made her look like a porcelain doll. After the third encore, her braid still shook with every enthusiastic clap of her hands, when finally the curtains were pulled tight. The show was over.

„Let’s leave“, Cloud said and ushered them out of their seats, before the entire hall full of people could decide to do the same.

Aerith followed suit, but came to a halt at the entrance hall.

„That was wonderful, wasn’t it?“ she asked, the marvel still apparent in her glowing face. „Let’s wait here. He must start his meet-and-greet soon!“

Crowds of people passed, chattering excitedly about the show, some with drinks in hand, other’s smoking cigars. Cloud‘s nose itched from all their overuse of perfume and sharp alcohol. 

He looked around for any sign of the meet-and-greet with Andrea, that the poster had been promising. Since it hadn’t taken place before the show, they figured the he must at least come to see his fans afterwards, right?

Two of the staff-bees stood at the entrance doors. In a professional, but charming manner they saw off their guests, taking care that the people filed back out on the streets without causing too much of a ruckus. Cloud made himself override his dampened, but still very present insect aversion, when he came up to speak to them.

„Andrea Rhodea. We’d like to have a word with him. When is he coming around?“ he asked.

The female bee giggled making her ridiculous stinger shake and called out to her male colleague, who had an even larger one strapped to his backside.

„This man wants to speak to Andrea, _without_ an invitation. Isn’t he _funny_ , Charlie?“ she said and the beeboy named Charlie joined into her giggling.

Cloud looked confusedly between the two, not quite sure what their laughing was directed at.

Aerith strode up to the conversation, leaning in with a curious frown.

„But the posters said, that we can meet him tonight!“ she said, a look on her face, that Cloud could only place to be hurt.

„Oh, my dears. That was for the grand-opening months ago! Andrea can’t _possibly_ meet every one of his fans anymore. You’d need an invitation for that!“ Charlie the bee offered. His over-professional smile, made his powdered pink cheeks morph into little round spheres.

Cloud felt his eyebrows raise in an impressed expression. If this wasn’t the opening night, he couldn’t imagine the extravaganza that must have happened back then.

„How do we get an invitation?“ Cloud asked.

The bee-girl, who’s name tag Cloud made out to read Sandra, layed a black-nailed finger over her very red lips in playful thought.

„Well….“, she started, tapping the finger along her chin. She smiled a crooked smile as she looked Cloud up and down, like one would judge a Chocobo before buying. „Can you dance?“

„Dance?“ Cloud frowned.

„You know…“, Sandra shook her stinger from side to side, and her wings started waving in a rythm. _How did they do that?,_ Cloud wondered in silence. „Andrea is always looking for more dancers. Male dancers to be exact.“

„Yes! Cloud is a _dance-oholic_!“

Cloud spun to see Aerith nodding with absolute conviction. She laced her right hand around his upper arm and nodded to the bees. „We were here to check out this dance company. And _I_ , as his _manager…_ need to have a word with Mr. Rhodea -“, she chimed and Cloud felt her lightly squeeze his arm in a notion to play along, „to talk about his _job offer_!“

The bee’s expressions shifted from amusement to an eyebrow-raise of surprised respect.

„Andrea Rhodea doesn’t extend offers without informing us, his crew…“, the girl said frowning, though it didn’t stop her from checking out Cloud from head to toe once more. She nudged her colleague. „Well he does make an impression of a dancer. Doesn’t he, Charlie?“

Charlie nodded, sending his antennea to bob up and down, and suddenly the two bees swirved in a half-circle around Cloud. Their eyes traced from his calves over his buttocks and intensely glared at his arms. _What, are they going to look into my mouth, at the status of my teeth next?_ Cloud felt himself go red in anger and embarrassment. _Where is Aerith going with this? Manager? Dancer?_ This is not how they’d find out anything about the audition!

„Wait, wait! I know you!“, Charlie suddenly began and snapped his fingers. „Sandra, it’s the fighter! The new guy! I saw him in the Colosseum yesterday!“

„A fighter?“ she aked with a hesitant laugh.

„The man’s got _moves_! I _totally_ get why Andrea would want him on board! Smooth like a cat!“ Charlie gushed.

The bee-girl turned away for a second as she guided the last guests outside of the theater. She returned with a nod.

„Well, since your _manager_ her has brought us a real fine specimen today and you seem to have an avid fan in Charlie here…. I guess we can introduce you to Andrea.“

***

Guided by the two bees as their escorts, Aerith and Cloud made their way to the backstage area. They passed through rows of hangers with shimmering wings in all shapes and sizes, pointy shoes stacked neatly in long mahogany shelves, dark velvet furniture draped with the private clothes of the many many dancers and a backstage bar equipped with every kind of alcoholic beverage Cloud could think of. The area was almost entirely lit by the glowing bulbs of professional make-up tables, magnificently guilding the satin curtains with that signature golden and black shimmer. Boxes filled with tins of hairspray clustered around like an an aluminium obstacle course. 

Cloud shook his head in amused disbelief at the whole of the scenery. But finally he could put a name to the main essence that was creeping up his nose. _That darn hairspray._

Through the backstage, they were lead out into the other side of the surprisingly vast complex. The fresh air of a courtyard with a fountain in the form of a bee-girl posing for pinup greeted them. The rest of the building hugged around the hexagonal court, each corner seperating what seemed to be private separées. _What is it with Wall Market and separées?,_ Cloud wondered and felt a more or less unwelcome flashback to Madame M.‘s parlour come washing into his mind.

Finally they came to halt infront of a heavy steal door, decorated with broad golden letters. _Club B.,_ the letters spelled out.

„ _Club B._?“ Cloud asked, though he could already imagine what the _B._ stood for.

„Club _Bee_ \- B. as in _Bee_!“ Sandra the bee-girl confirmed his intuition with a giggle and - almost theatrically - Charlie and her gave the steal handles a strong _push_. Almost immediately a gust of air-conditioned air hit Cloud’s face. _What is this place?,_ he wondered as the fine sweet mist of a fogger-machine spread around their feet. Surprised, he immediately felt his muscles stiffen. His SOLDIER-mind shifted in precautious gears.

Butthen he heard the music. Faster and more technical than the dance-numbers of the show, the music reverberated up the staircase that materialized behind the faintly lit mist. _A secret underground Club?_

Still in her bubble of child-like wonder, Aerith was the first to bounce downwards infront of him, dipping herself into the the misty air. It was then that the lack of Cloud‘s buster sword between his shoulder blades became painfully apparent to him. Going into an unknown territory without proper protection? _Absolute madness_. And here this girl was happily throwing herself into Gaia knows where like nothing in the world could hurt her. She must really trust this Honey Bee Inn-place. _Or the protection of her not-so-thrilled-to-be-designated body-guard._

Sandra closed the door behind him them. Careful not to lose Aerith out of his sight in the colorful mist-cloud, Cloud followed to the underground. With every step the beats became more encompassing as shimmering purple, pink and red lights veiled the four of them into an enchanted filter. It was as if they were entering a mystical realm. 

An then Cloud‘s jaw fell open.

_An underground after-party_ , he realized, dazedly marvling at the spectacular hall they had entered. The mist gave way to a three storey room stretched out infront of them; the levels seperating a crowded dancefloor at the lowest, a half-storey with a long shimmering bar and a top-level that seemed to be holding individual glass-coves as the hall’s ceiling. Groups of people, some but not all of them in bee-costumes, gathered and danced at the ballustrades of the second level, waving to the crowds below.

„The DJ for the night is _Miss Interpreted_. I hope you enjoy your beats _hard_!“ Sandra called over the beats to Cloud and Aerith, who had both frozen rather awestruck at the end of the staircase. Cloud shook himself out of his momentary trance. _Focus!_ , he thought, regaining his compusure. But the exhilerated goosebumps on his arms weren’t so convinced.

„Where is Andrea?“ he asked, half shouting himself now.

Charlie must have spotted someone in the crowd, as he dashed off to greet them. „Andrea will reach out to you!“ he called over his shoulder. And then he was gone between the black and yellow bee costumes and the unofficial uniforms of Wall Market – uniforms of glitter and skin.

Aerith pointed excitedly at the large discoball sparkling from the ceiling and the several bars glowing from the second level and Sandra seemed to fill her in on the whatabouts of this place. Cloud wanted to pull Aerith aside to remind her to stick together, when someone suddenly tugged his arm.

„Ohhh, look at those muscles!“ one of the bee-girls gushed by his ear. A second later hands were on him at all sides. Girls and wings and lashes surrounded him „ _Pretty_!“ another one squealed. „Is that your _real_ hair?“, a girl asked and pulled at a strand at the back of his head.

„Hey…“, Cloud could only respond feebly, convinced that a single rougher move of his arms might send the lithe girls flying across the room. A second later Sandra stepped in, pulling a girl off him who had taken particular liking of his bare upper arms.

„Hands off, girls! He’s here for Andrea!“ she ordered. With a reluctant sigh the girls pulled away. Their giggling faltered off as they slipped away to find their next point of interest, somewhere else in this club.

„Seems you’re quite popular here, Cloud“, Aerith said spectating the scene with apparent amusement.

Cloud huffed. „Let’s find out what we came here for and leave“, he said. _Popular_? Maybe. _Patient_? Not so much.

„Didn’t we say that you were going to loosen up?“ Aerith asked with a playful smile. Before Cloud could rearticulate that he hadn’t _promised_ anything and - _what was that supposed to mean he WAS loose_ \- a man bowed down closely before Aerith. Cloud stiffened. With a surpised laugh and a moment to check out her suitor, she followed the invitation to dance - leaving Cloud with just as much as an apologetic giggle. And there she went, braid swinging with her steps, dress twirling as she made her way onto the crowded dancefloor. 

Cloud felt a pang of unexpected tightness in his chest. Was it Aerith or himself that this sudden anger was directed at? He pushed the picture of the last of her twirling dress aside and looked around for Sandra or Charlie. But they too seemed to have been sucked into the party. Sighing, Cloud decided to head away from the dancing masses of the lowest level and found the narrow glass steps leading up to the bar.

The second he made it to the next storey, rows of craftfully illuminated bottles stared back at him from a half-circle of neon-lighted silver and metal racks. Careful to stay focused amidst this overly sparkly but truthfully quite impressive architectural demonstration of Wall Market craftmanship and celebration of alcoholism, Cloud let himself down on one of the few empty barstools.

„Something bitter“, he ordered when the bartender approached him. A group of especially extravagently clothed women hovered at his side of the bar. He ignored their giggles and actively evaded eye-contact. They seemed to be scanning the room for their night’s prey. And Cloud was not in the mood. _Was Aerith, though?,_ an unwelcome voice in his head asked.

The bartender returned with an amber-colored drink and Cloud was thankful for the mind numbing invention of alcohol. He downed the first, then ordered a second. So much for staying focused. _Great idea, Cloud_. _Get drunk and don’t think about Aerith dancing, having fun, all loosened up. It’s not like you’re practically weapon-less and in the middle of a nightclub. In Wall Market._ He bit his lip.

„Cloud Strife?“, came the voice of the bartender when he appeared with the second round. „Mr. Rhodea is expecting you in the V.I.B. area!“. He motioned to the glass-storey above.

Relieved to be back on his mission, Cloud took his drink, the ice cubes sparkling with all the reflected lights of the room and – made his way through the people to the seperate area. 

The music was more subtle here, drowned into the background by the thick glass walls without them restricting the view to the dancing crowds below. It was a little kingdom; the ruler of dance in a castle of glass. 

With a silent nod a broad-shouldered security-guard guided him up the last few steps and - there he was. Andrea Rhodea.


	11. Chapter 6 - Honey Nights (part 3 /3)

_-Cloud_

With a silent nod a broad-shouldered security-guard guided him up the last few steps and - there he was. Andrea Rhodea.

The poster hadn’t done his presence any justice. His broad shoulders were strapped into dark, skin-tight material with cutouts in the shape of diamands and intricate swirls. A flaired pant hugged to his waist and drew out the controlled movements of long, strong legs.

„Cloud! The mystery fighter with the body of a bow and the precision of an arrow“, the man said as the glass door fell shut behind Cloud. In demonstration of his words Andrea acted as if he were shooting an arrow to his side, leaning into the movement with theatrical grace.

„Your reputation preceeds you. Welcome to _Club B_.“ he added, smiling warmly. He motioned towards the long couch that spread across the section. A couple of boy- and girl-bees noticed Cloud entering and, hardly supressing their giggling, gave up their seats around the drink-covered table. They left behind a cloud of hairspray, perfume and the distinct tang of Wall Market’s meltingpot of cultures.

Cloud watched them trail off down the stairs and then they were alone. Andrea and him.

„They know, when I have special guests“, Andrea said. „Come, Cloud. Sit“.

„What is this place?“, Cloud asked as he let himself down on the couch. He looked around and excited goosebumps built up on his forearms, that couldn’t just be explained from the air conditioning. Rather, it was the miraculous sight beneeth them. From here the glass seperation sealed off the outside world, as if the V.I.B. area were yet another unearthly realm. The view over the dancefloor was magnificent, sparkling bodies movies in synchronicity like a school of fish. Before he knew it, his eyes flicked over the people until he spotted Aerith. There she was, dancing, becoming one with the crowd. A few girls surrounding her, then guys again, never alone. Never the odd one out.

„Our place to let go. Something I started as a possibility for my dancers to loosen up together“, Andrea answered and Cloud couldn’t help but feel a familiar sting to his guts at the word _loosen up_. With a somewhat sentimental sigh Andrea let his gaze sink downwards at his creation, his legacy. „Dance is a way to come closer, move as one. Not just as a crew, but as a family“, he said.

The music shifted and the lights followed suit as the warmer hues were replaced by darker scale of blue. Cloud had problems keeping Aerith in his line of sight. „If you say so“, he responded distractedly scanning the crowd.

Andrea noticed his transfixed gaze. „Looking for your girlfriend?“, he asked.

Cloud pulled his eyes away and took a large sip of his drink. „No.“

Andrea let out a light laugh. „Oh, trouble in paradise, I see. Well I won’t dig any further. Let’s talk about your interest in joining the crew then.“

„We- I-.“, Cloud took a breath, reluctant to tell these warm eyes the lie that was their cover story. „I don’t dance“, Cloud stated, meeting Andrea’s gaze, who seemed to be watching him with genuine amusement.

But instead of becoming angry Andrea slowly set his glass down on the cool mirrored surface of the table between them. His gaze swept from Cloud back to the dancefloor.

„So I’ve been told, Cloud. A SOLDIER. And from what _they_ are saying - ,“, he lifted a hand to motion over the crowd, „-a skilled one at that.“

Cloud shrugged. „It keeps me fed.“

Andrea gave a nod of understanding, lines creasing into his forehead. Something that seemed only to emphasize the serene but warm maturity of his face.

„But is this your calling, Cloud?“, he asked after a moment of silence, „Using your body - a machine of grace and power - for the sake of pain and blood?“

Cloud shifted, suddenly uncomfortable to be met with such questions _in a nightclub_. He felt caught,like a child found with chocolate covered hands.

„I do what I have to“, he said.

Andrea smiled. „I’m sure you do. But fighting isn’t all there is to life.“

„Is dancing?“, he retorted more harshly than he had intended.

The skin tight material spanning over Andreas chest expanded as his laughing shook him gently. „Oh no, honey, you’re completely right. But sometimes, I wish it were. And here-“, with a swift push Andrea got up from the couch, and took a step to the glass seperating them from over the dance floor. „- here it can be.“

Cloud grabbed his drink and joined Andrea at his side. He spotted Aerith again, this time with a group of bees, who had somehow found their way upon a podium. Their dance steps were strongly limited by the little surface that they were balancing on together, but that didn’t stop them from moving as one, like the orchestrated flow of the ocean. Somehow they all had found a rhythm here. But where was Cloud’s place in this beat? 

„We are here for something else“, Cloud began, finally fighting through his unreasonable thoughts and back to the mission at hand. That was at least something he was good at – missions. Not dancing. „Don Corneo. An old friend will be cast in his audition. Do you know anything about it?“

Andrea raised his eyebrows at the topic of their actual agenda, but provided information liberally. It seemed he wasn’t a fan of the Don himself. They talked about the mansion, the girls and how the auditions are said to take place. And what happens to the girls that aren’t chosen by the Don.

„He is a disgusting man, with no respect for the beauty of the heart“, Andrea stated, clenching a coiled fist against the glass. It was the first expression of anger Cloud had seen on this man. „You will have my support for the audition. I will talk to the guards of the mansion and they will escort you inside.“

Cloud nodded a thanks and they cheered their drinks to their agreement. 

„What?“, Cloud asked, when Andrea wouldn’t stop smiling.

„The facade you uphold is a strong one, Cloud. And one of beauty. But you haven’t got me fooled that the heart that is beating inside your chest isn’t just as strong and beautiful.“

Cloud frowned slightly, he wasn’t used to such compliments from another man. Let alone a man of such influence and such _charisma_ , as Andrea Rhodea.

„You have a friend in trouble and you set out to help. You see injustices like those of the Don and you set out to stop them. But what, my friend, will you do about this problem of yours?“ Andrea asked, shifting his gaze back to the dancefloor. And even without him pointing down at her Cloud knew exactly what he was talking about. He had been staring at her through most of their conversation. Aerith’s moves in the crowd, so free, so youthful. So _happy_. 

Cloud felt his teeth dig into his cheek as he tried to decide what to open up to Andrea. And if there was anything to open up about.

„I should leave now“, Cloud said, when he decided that there was nothing to talk about. 

Andrea nodded and lifted his nearly empty drink to his face. „It was a pleasure, Cloud.“

Cloud pushed open the glass seperation of the V.I.B. area and immediately the music flooded back over him. 

Back on the lowest level, he ducked his way through the crowd, slipping between drunken conversations and carefully wrapping around the bartables that circled the main-floor. Here the tiles of the dancefloor illimunated in different colors under his feet, pulsing to the electronic music.

Aerith wasn’t hard to find. She was still atop one of the podiums. Slipping through the people he fought his way forward.

„Aerith!“ he called when he finally got to the base of the little stage. „I got what we came for. Let’s go!“.

Aerith spotted him beneeth her and stretched down her arms.

„Cloud! You’re here! Come dance!“ she called back at him, a warm smile lighting up her face in the pulsing disco lights.

„I said –“, Cloud started again, but someone’s hands were already shoving him from behind, pushing him to take the step onto the podium. He tried to shrug them off, but three giggling bees had set their minds to helping him get up beside Aerith. With a single push to his leg he was up on the podium. Cheering ensued from the people below them. Aerith laughed wholeheartedly and lifted his hands by the wrists, guiding him to the nearly unbearably loud music. The main speakers were only meters away, the vibrations ringing through the soles of Cloud’s feet up to the tips of his hair.

„I talked with Andrea! We have what we came for“, he repeated, more loudly this time.

„What? I can’t hear you!“, Aerith said, pointing to her ears with laughter. „The music is just _too_ loud!“, she emphasized her little white lie. Aerith’s new friends laughed as the continued to dance and sing along the lyrics. Cloud didn’t recognize the song.

This was not his scene, he realized. And _loosening up_ was something he couldn’t do, it seemed. 

Nearly huffing, Cloud let himself drop from the podium again.

„Cloud!“ he heard a surprised Aerith call from behind him. He didn’t turn around. Instead he shifted between the increasingly drunken people and pranced on towards the bar once more. He was too proud to drag Aerith out of this place, but he made a mental note note to go into a night club ever again. 

A fresh drink in hand he slouched down on one of the small couch corners across the bar. The beating of the music was a little less dominant here, the dancing lights a little less flickering. But what irritated him the most, was the feeling of his sword missing from his back. It made him feel vulnarable to not feel it’s usual weight there. He hadn’t realized how much it’s presence had anchored him in his usual calm. Maybe vulnerability was a heavier weight to carry, than any sword? 

Uneasily he shifted his unprotected back closer against the plush texture of the couch, huddling over his drink with something that must have resembled a pout.

„What’s up, grumpy?“

Cloud’s head shot up from staring into the depth of his glass.

„You done dancing?“ he asked, when a rather sweaty, but absolutely glowing Aerith let herself down beside him.

She shrugged out of her leather jacket, revealing the plain but delicate light dress beneeth.

„Seems like you are at least“, she said with a smile, that somehow struck Cloud as sad. She sighed to herself and relaxed her shoulders against the roundness of the couch. For a moment they sat in relative silence and only the beating music spoke between them. 

Aerith fanned air onto her skin beside him as they both let their eyes wander over the groups that stood drinking, laughing, or openly kissing around the bar. Several other niches like theirs had couples huddled close, with limbs interlinking in deep, passionate and probably rather drunk embrace. One couple in particular was clumsily peeling pieces of rine-stone studded clothes from eath other, presenting skin on skin to curious onlookers. Cloud wondered how far these people would go, then took another large sip of his drink before he could further go down this line of thought.

„Have you ever been to a place like this before?“ Aerith asked with a fascination in her tone that mirrored Cloud’s. 

„No. Have you?“

A light laugh escaped her lips. „When I was younger, I had a few girlfriends in Sector 5. We snuck out one night and lit a fire and danced until the next morning. We stole one of the cherry-wines from Miss Folia. I remember mother asking me, why I looked so tired the next day. Oh, the headache Cloud!“, she said. 

The story made Cloud smile. Aerith didn’t seem like the girl to rebel or to steal alcohol. Then again, she ran off from home, with him. To do what? _To go on an adventure_. Maybe he had a wrong picture of her in his mind, after all. Maybe it was time he started to question how much of the flower girl-image she portrayed was actually just as much a facade as his mercenary mask.

Aerith pointed at his glass questioningly and Cloud gave a nod. She sipped from his drink.

„Ewww, Cloud“, she said and he thin skin on Aerith’s nose wrinkled in her overacted disgust.„Well that’s nothing like the cherry-wine!“

They shared a moment of laughter. 

„Did you ever tell your mother the truth about that night?“

Aerith smirked. „No“, she said. „Mother doesn’t have to know everything, does she?“ 

She cocked her head slightly at those last words, a twitch at the corner of her mouth provoking a response. Cloud held her gaze only for a second, her green eyes sparkling back at him. 

Aerith cleared her throat. „My, I really understand the need for all that _hairspray_ now“, Aerith said and started to fiddle with the many strands of hair that had decided to join in the dancing and escape from her usually very neat braid. She drew her arms up to open her ribbon and Cloud couldn’t help but watch as once again, her waves sprawled over her shoulders. Without the leather jacket, they cast a warm contrast against the palor of the skin of her neck, her arms. Cloud wanted to say something, tell her again, that he liked how her hair looked when it was open. The memory of them sitting by the pond, her wavy wet hair framing her narrow face. He had told her back then, how beautiful he thought it looked. But that felt ages ago. It had been before his hands had found their way to her neck, where the bruise he gave her was still just wearing off, before the words that they had exchanged on the playground. It was just weeks ago, but they had been so different. She had been so different to him. Just another girl to move on from. 

Just when Cloud wanted to open his mouth to finally say what he wouldn’t – no _couldn’t_ \- share with Andrea before, a shrieking _buzz_ filled the suddenly starkly illuminated hall.

For a moment he believed it to be yet another special sound effect, a particilarily extravagant show of the thousand upon thousands of intricately synced disco lights. But after a blaring moment of sharp light, everything went dark.

„Whats that?“ Aerith’s voice asked from the darkness beside him, worry tinging her words. Cloud tensed.

Excited chattering filled the unusual silence of the party hall. Some people laughing, then demanding the music to continue with drunken calls to the blacked-out DJ-booth. Some people pulled devices from their pockets, phones and other screens drawing the contours of silhouettes into the darkness. Cloud stood up from his seat, shifting his stance infront of Aerith. In that moment he knew he shouldn’t have left his sword behind. 

„Everyone!“ a voice he recognized as Andrea‘s suddenly broke through the increasingly tense shuffling below. His voice boomed from the booth, a screenlight illuminating his face in an unusual angle. „I fear, there has been a technical issue. Our equipment is out for the night.“ 

Boo-ing reverberated back at him from the lower level, followed by a sad awww-ing from the disappointed party guests. „I am very sorry, for having to end this night so abruptly. We will be back next week, as soon as our technicians figure this out. Now –“, he took a deep breath to ensure his words were loud – „My dearest friends! Please leave the area carefully. The emergency lights should go on any moment now.“

And a moment later a flickering ensued from above Cloud’s and Aerith’s head, as the faint neon guides sprang to life above them.

„Aww. But it’s still so early…“, Aerith said, seemingly oblivious to the moment of tension Cloud had just gone through. Was everyone so naive? Or was it just Cloud that got tense in the darkness? 

With slow movements and very reluctantly Aerith moved to shrug her jacket back on, the look in her eyes one of true sadness.

It was too painful to watch. Aerith had been so happy on that dance floor, and - just for a night, they had agreed, she should feel Wall Market’s heartbeat. Just for a night, and this night wasn’t over just yet.

People were already filing their way to the stairs as Cloud felt for the lightning materia inside his pocket. There was a slight sizzle shooting up the rough material of his glove has his finger tips found the orb. He enclosed it in his palm and concentrated hard to find the source of the troubled machinery. The materia started pulsing, slowly then faster as his perception stretched out to the wires beneeth his feet, behind the walls, to the neon chandeliers, the barlights, the giant disco ball, that had stopped rotating and the surprisingly complex electrical setup of the DJ booth. But there, behind copper wiring and electrostatic synchronyzers Cloud’s materia-fueled mind found the source of the problem. A single drop of a drink that had been spilled by the DJ weeks ago must have found its way all the way down the cables, causing a momentary power shortcut.

That shouldn’t bee too difficult to fix.

Without thinking twice, Cloud lifted the orb from his pocket out infront of him. Purple rays of light circled his arm timidly. Just as the first people began whispering in astonishment at the magic taking place before their eyes, a stark purple ray shot up from the materia – above the heads of the oggling crowd of the dancefloor – and straight into the DJ booth.

 _Zap._ A spark lit up from the booth and then - so fast, so simply – a single bout of electricity on the very right spot, - the lights went back on.

„Cloud, you fixed it!“ came Aerith from behind him. He felt her arms on his shoulder, just as he was tucking away the materia inside his pocket again. Clapping of the little crowd, that had seen what he had done, surrounded him. He couldn’t hide a smile. _Let the moths be happy_ , he thought to himself. 

Aerith still hugged her arms around his backside, as the discolights and the beats found back into their rhythm again. 

„Seems like you saved the day. You’re their hero!“, she commented and came to stand beside Cloud. 

Cloud remembered her saying these words before, back in the orphanage. And she blushed, as she seemed to remember them too.

He lifted a hand to a strand of her open hair, that she hadn‘t yet tamed to a braid again.

Aerith gasped but didn’t interfere as his gaze stayed set on her. The alcohol was finally removing the barrier he set himself to coming close, risking to hurt her again. She breathed slowly, her eyes wide as his fingers trailed from her hair down her neck – right to the bruise he had caused.

„I’m not a hero“, he said at that painful reminder. He let his arm sink again.

But Aerith grabbed him by the wrist and guided his hand back up to her cheek. 

„Oh, Cloud. I think we already had that conversation“, she said and stepped closer. Her hair lifted slightly, dancing wavy around her slender figure in the light gush of cool air from above their heads. Cloud refrained from moving, too enchanted by the silver streaks of light reflecting from her lashes, that seemed to crown her crystal-set eyes. It was a combination of alcohol rushing through his mind and just how the dancing lights decorated Aerith’s face, that made him suddenly reach out and curl his other hand around her waist. Aerith held his gaze with a steady smile, looking less surprised than he expected she would. 

They both breathed, lips slightly parted into this intimitate stance, his one hand firmly in the small of her back, the other at the side of her face, her locks laying in the little space that was left between them. How was it not too intimate, to stand like this in public? People everywhere, yet everyone was minding their own business, everyone making the most of the magical night that he, Cloud, had saved. Everyone dancing to their own beat. And him holding this stubborn _stubborn_ girl, that he just now started to respect so much for speaking her truth, setting out to get what she wants. _Such a confident smile._

„Yeah“, he finally said, closing the distance between them, his voice a whisper just before her lips „we did.“

Aerith gasped when he didn’t give her the kiss right then and there.

Instead he pulled her back to the little niche and it’s rounded couch, where his drink was still sitting on the bartable, emptied now, with all the alcohol doing the magic in his mind.

 _Loosen up, Cloud_ , it had whispered. Could he be listening to this voice, after all?

In a single motion he let himself down, nudging Aerith just enough to scoop her up on his lap. 

„Cloud-“, she gasped, but whatever she had wanted to say, he wouldn’t find out. His hand tugged her into him, lips finally meeting hard. She breathed just for a second before his hand guided her neck back to him, his tongue eager to finally loosen up, loosen up inside her mouth. Lips parted as a hungry kiss was exchanged, he shifted and Aerith practically fell into him. He tugged her close, not daring to break the eagerness of their kiss this time, not daring to let his mind sober up for even just a second. Finally this wasn’t the mako telling him to take this kiss, this was him, and oh how she played along. She shifted her weigh, her legs no longer to one side, but straddling his hips, her face to his, arching her body into him. With every rythmic rumble of their kiss, her thighs needed into him. Unable to control the sharpness of the desire this invoked, he bit her lip. She pulled away, throwing her head back in a delighted laugh.

„Didn’t I say we would have fun?“ she asked with an innocent bat of her lashes, a playful smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. 

Instead of with his words, Cloud’s hands responded with a tighter grasp to her waist. Her hips crashed deep down on his again, her nails digging into the couch in the urgency of their shared arousal at both sides of Cloud’s head. Another wave of courage that his bitter drinks had fueled sent Clouds hand to the the thin material of her dress, shoving it up until it revealed a good part of her thigh, the porcelain-white dipped into luscious blues and purples by the straying disco lights.

The sight made is groins burn with fervor under her weight. He angled his face when he pulled away from her lips this time, his mouth finding her right ear.

„How much fun, Aerith?“ he asked.

The playful smile vanished from her lips and gave way to a look that was coloured with more anxiousness, an unspoken question of how many lines should be crossed between them. 

He waited for her response, as she sat angled on top of him, the lights scattering over her like colorful snowflakes. She smelled of sweet liquor and the bee‘s hairspray, that she had been dancing with all night. And another note, that mixed within all of that. _Is this what dandelions smell like?,_ came a question in Cloud’s alcohol tainted mind.

But she didn’t lean back into him. Her breathing slowed just as his, the first rush of their passion ebbing down steadily with the beat in the background music.

„Let’s go somewhere else, Cloud“, she breathed. They held their gaze, neither daring to break the tension, the understanding between them. She lifted her arms from the back of the couch and her hands found his, fingers interlinking. All the while, barely blinking, lips slightly parted. Just as Cloud wanted to lift her from his hips, her fingers twitched over his left glove and within a second his hand was freed of the heavy material. 

He felt his brows furrow when her delicate fingers lifted his hand to her mouth. With the most inconspiuous look in her eyes, eyebrows arched in playful innocence, she layed his index finger to her lips. Cloud bit the inside of his cheek, when the pink of her tongue found the top of his finger, grazing slowly over his surface.

„Didn’t you say you wanted to-“, and then she slipped his finger into her mouth, „- _Ah_.“

Aerith’s hands tightened on his wrist, her thighs squeezing over his legs. The heat that was building up inside Cloud‘s pants was becoming unbearable now. 

He watched with clenched lips as she pushed his finger deeper, just to pull it out a second later. The sharp sensation drew a grown from the depth of his chest and for a second he was reminded that they were still in public, bodys layering over each other. Was this too much for a nightclub? Too tense? Too obvious where this was going? Then again, half naked bees and guests came here for fun, and this was fun, wasn’t it?

Cloud couldn’t just watch as she completely sucked every drop of self-containment out of him. With the next sucking of her lips on his skin, he pushed his finger deeper, her moan a combination of surprise and submissive desire. 

She pulled, he pushed. And when he pushed, she pulled.

She pressed a kiss to the tip of his wet finger, then turned around his palm in her hands and pressed her lips to the tender skin of his palm. Why did this small, innocent kiss feel so exhilerating? What was it that made the touch of her skin feel as charged as the orb of the sizzling lightning materia had just minutes before?

His hand found her thigh again, the cloth of her dress crumpling halfway down to her knee. His fingers shoved below the fabric, eyes locked in a split second of asking for consent. She didn’t break away. As his hand found the side of her panties, she leant back into him. Her hands let go of his arm, her fingers grazing his neck and shoulders instead. Her trimmed nails dug into the skin of his neck as she deepened her kiss. Slower but with more intensity, their tongues met halfway between their mouths as Clouds fingers traced beneeth the lining of her panties. _Would someone watch?,_ a voice inside him mumbled. _Wasn’t this the whole point of this club_?, another asked back. Aerith didn’t seem to mind, but did he? 

„You’re right“, he said, breaking off the kiss with a shortness of breath that he usually didn’t even come to feel in fights, „let’s go somewhere else.“

„Oh, was this too much?“ Aerith asked, nearly timidly now looking down on him.

„That’s not it. I – “, he said, eyes darting to a few curious onlookers that had gathered behind them. Perhaps snogging couples weren’t a rare sight in Club B., but it was definitely a setting to get used to. „We’ve got an audience.“

Aerith turned around and snickered at the sight of the curious strangers gazing upon them, their expressions a little disappointed at the obviously ended display of affection. They moved on, bodies shaking to the beat with every step. In a few meters they’d stumble upon the next couple in a darker corner. _What a place_ , Cloud thought again, but this time with a more positive notion. 

„Will it be like the last time? When we said we would continue another day?“ Aerith asked as she slowly lifted her hips from his, her feet finally finding back to the ground. She picked her ribbon and pocketed it, not making any intention to braid her beautifully wild waves back up.

Cloud pushed himself off the couch to stand before her, blinking against the dizziness from all his blood being somewhere else entirely. „Maybe you will change your mind“, he said simply.

She gave a short laugh, then pinched the bare skin of Cloud’s upper arm in a tease. „ _My_ mind has been made up quite some time now, Cloud. It’s you who’s been pulling away, remember?“

He felt his face go red, suddenly thankful for the dim lighting. „I’m so-“, he started again, „That had other reasons“.

Aerith responded with a smile, a brilliant spark in her eyes. At the sight of this confident smile the heat in his groins was accompanied by something very different. A warmth in his chest, a lightness in his stomach. Or was it just the alcohol?

Giggling at his sudden perplection, Aerith took a step towards the bar.

„Let’s grab a bottle, and get out of here“, she called and extended an arm to him. „Shall we, loverboy?“

**AN: I think this is where it ends. I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Thanks for reading along, the support and the fun I got to have with reading your comments and all of your input! I enjoyed my experience in getting to know these characters a little better and adding my very own spice to the story! I hope you did too** ** 😊 **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I think this is where it ends. I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Thanks for reading along, the support and the fun I got to have with reading your comments and all of your input! I enjoyed my experience in getting to know these characters a little better and adding my very own spice to the story! I hope you did too 😊


End file.
